WASHINGTON—The entirely imaginary National Bureau of Jurisdictional Meteorology has unveiled a color-coded interstate “legal weather map” allowing hospitals, lawyers and expectant families to determine whether crossing a state line will produce rain, litigation or both.[1]
The initiative follows ABC News and Associated Press reporting on a surrogate who traveled from California to Texas amid a dispute over treatment for a severe fetal condition, then gave birth one day after a Texas judge ordered a hospital to provide life-sustaining care. The people involved will not appear on the map; the conflicting legal systems will occupy most of the continent.
“Previously, institutions had to discover incompatible rules by encountering an actual crisis,” said Dr. Lenora Staple, fictional chair of the Institute for Applied Paperwork. “The atlas permits them to identify the crisis several exits earlier.”[2]
The map legend ranges from pale beige, meaning “consult counsel,” to dark burgundy, meaning “counsel has consulted additional counsel.”[1] Rain remains governed by physics, pending appeal. [2] The institute defines preparedness as possessing the correct binder while events continue without permission.
