Broad Pearl Code

Definition

The Broad Pearl Code is the set of U.S. federal laws dealing with the use of magic.

History

The Broad Pearl Code (so called because it was drafted at the tavern at the corner of Pearl and Broad Streets in New York) governs the legal use of magic by mages and other individuals with The Talent. Legend says it was drafted by prominent mages of the American Revolution. Historians and forensic linguists have not conclusively identified any authors, though most agree that the Code was composed by several people, not one.
The Broad Pearl Code was adopted by the Congress in 1791.

Contents

The Broad Pearl Code includes a preamble and a number of laws governing the use of magic.
Although the Broad Pearl Code governs the use of magic, it was written for an audience of legislators educated in the Age of Enlightenment who largely dismissed the idea of magic as irrational and outdated. The code therefore uses the terms "extraordinary means" in Preamble to denote magic, though the term is broadly defined to include the new technologies of the Industrial Revolution.
The Preamble defines "extraordinary means" as any "invention or means, new or old, natural or artificial, that augments, extends, or enhances the abilities, capabilities, and power of human beings, or of normal objects and machines." The Preamble also expresses concern that these "extraordinary means" could be used to undermine the state, endanger the lives and livelihoods of citizens, or otherwise breach the peace, and therefore sets up the laws governing the use of these means.
The laws generally fall into several broad categories:

"Extraordinary means" shall not be used to break any existing federal or state laws or circumvent those laws.

"Extraordinary means" shall not be used to commit a crime, facilitate a crime, or conceal a crime.

"Extraordinary means" shall not be used to cause harm to individuals or property.

"Extraordinary means" shall not abridge or interfere with constitutional or "natural" rights (what we would now call human rights).

It is explicitly prohibited for civilians to develop new "extraordinary means" as weapons, though the military is allowed to do so.

Updates

The Broad Pearl Code's philosophy has allowed this section of U.S. federal law to be periodically updated to account for magical and technological advances. For example, the Broad Pearl Code has been interpreted to allow the use of magic to enhance automobile safety and increase gas mileage, but not to allow spells for radar detection.

Type

Text, Legislative

Medium

Paper