Feb 292008
At Opinio Juris Roger Alford asks whether recognition of leap year constitutes customary international law, having “been in practice since the 16th century … general, consistent and uninterrupted across the decades.” He goes on to note, “No state claims a right to object to the practice. And yet no treaty governs the question.”
Meanwhile, in more pedestrian legal matters, I overheard a lawyer declare, “Leap year’s great. An extra day to get in your billable hours.”
I wonder, though, if there were firms out there that added extra hours to the yearly requirement because there was the extra day…
Are there any countries that use the Eastern Orthodox calendar as a matter of law? It’s about two weeks behind the standard Western calendar.
I think some did into the 20th century. My grandfather, for instance, wasn’t entirely sure when his birthday was since he was born in Ukraine. But I think for the most part they gave that up.