# When a new legislative body takes over, do they spend their first few days writing EVERY MUNDANE LAW? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321 "2022-04-05T15:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321/21 "2022-04-15T05:20:19Z")
Typos! When Upper Canada was created in 1791, not 1719! SUC 1791, c. 1 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321/22 "2022-04-15T15:32:23Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > I’m not really well read on this, but it’s my understanding that after the feudal Shogunate government fell and they eventually made the [Meiji Constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Constitution) of 1890, it took a major amount of work to create a body of law compatible with a modern nation. > […] > This isn’t a field I’m really familiar with so if anyone knows more, I’d love to hear about it. I also don’t know much about this but I did recently find and post to another thread a review of Japan’s Feudal-era Criminal Law, which was interesting to read about and might give you some sense of the transitions that were necessary: [https://repository.uchastings.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2033&context=hastings\_law\_journal](https://repository.uchastings.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2033&context=hastings_law_journal) I would imagine that a large part of the shift was getting rid of laws to do with classes (samurai, commoner, [Burakumin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin), etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321/23 "2022-04-16T02:17:52Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > even an English case prior to 1776, all of which would be binding authority. In one legal opinion, I’ve cited a decision from Star Chamber, and in another, I’ve cited an English statute from the reign of Edward IV. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321/24 "2022-04-16T02:50:48Z")
There was also a Supreme Court of Canada case 35 years ago that turned on the _Statute of Frauds_, (Eng.), 29 Car. II, c. 3, s. 4. Not a re-enactment by the province, but the English statute, which was part of the statute law of the province under the doctrine of reception of English law. [https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1987/1987canlii4/1987canlii4.html](https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1987/1987canlii4/1987canlii4.html) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321/25 "2022-04-16T03:21:49Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The first Congress enacted - to modern eyes - a tiny number of new acts, 26 in all, almost all of them relating to the big stuff: creating cabinet positions, levying duties, creating territories and a court system, and allowing themselves to get paid. > > They can be found in [Statutes at Large, volume 1, 1789](https://www.loc.gov/item/llsl-v1/) Just of personal interest: One of the very first statutes enacted by the First Congress was the Copyright Act of 1790. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321.md?page=1)