Making change for Katrina

Many states see there is money to be made through the divorce industry, and as such have over the years, either relaxed their divorce laws, or created new legislation with the view to attracting people to the state to get a quickie divorce.

Nevada promptly heard that its favorite industry was threatened, and decided to counter-attack. The six-weeks divorce law was introduced to the divorce courts, and for good measure an equally liberal law legalizing gambling was thrown in.

Assemblyman Guy Walts introduced the new divorce residence law. He is a rancher in the fertile Truckee meadows, surrounding Reno. His bill fixed divorce residence at only six weeks. It did more than that. The old divorce law provided that “residents” must remain within the immediate vicinity of Reno; this didn’t give “residents” much of a chance even to go fishing.

The new law provided that they could move about the state as they pleased. Some persons insisted that this “free movement” clause makes it possible for a person to take a six week’s automobile camping trip within the state and secure an immediate divorce in the little courthouse of the county in which he finds himself at the end of that time.