REL - Major Sources of Law (Lesson)

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Major Sources of Law

Introduction

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In our previous microlesson, we learned about why our law is necessary. Now we will take a look at the establishment of our laws. Laws are the rules of conduct established by government of a society to maintain stability and justice. The laws of the United States have developed over the course of time.

There are five major sources of the law – constitutional law, English common law, statutory law, court decisions (or precedent law), and administrative/regulatory law.

We will also review international law. International law involves the treaty relationships between nations and persons and the legal responsibility of their conduct with each other.

Key Terms

  1. Law – system of rules of conduct established by the government of a society to maintain stability and justice
  2. Constitution – document that spells out the principles by which the government operates
  3. Common law – decisions of the early law courts developed in England, based on customs, dealing with cases on precedent
  4. Precedent – requirement of a judge to follow an earlier court decision when deciding a case with similar circumstances
  5. Statutes – laws specifically passed by a governing body that has been created for a stated purpose
  6. Legislature – the body of lawmakers of each state that is responsible for making statutory laws
  7. Unconstitutional – any action or law that goes against the U.S. Constitution
  8. Administrative Law – rules and procedures that are established by regulatory agencies
  9. International Law – a body of rules established by custom or treaty and recognized by nations as binding in their relations with one another

The Sources of Law

The sources of law refer to the origins of our current laws and development of those laws for the purpose of governing the human conduct within our society. Sources of law also refer to the state from which the law derives its validity. All of our sources of law work together to maintain stability and justice in our country. As globalization has expanded, the further development of international law has taken place. International law encompasses numerous issues such as world trade, global environment, global communications, human rights, and international crimes, just to name a few.

Click on each source of law type below to reveal more information about each type.

Sources of Law

It is now time to learn more about Sources of Law in the presentation below. Make sure that your speakers are turned up. Use the navigational tools in the presentation to move between slides.

International Law

It is now time to learn more about International Law in the presentation below. Make sure that your speakers are turned up. Use the navigational tools in the presentation to move between slides.

Let's Review!

Take a moment to participate in the following activity to practice your understanding of the topics in this module.  Reach out to your instructor if you have any questions.

Final Thoughts

The sources of law have been the logical reasoning in forming our current laws. We as citizens are required not only to follow the laws of government, but as citizens we also have the responsibility to help form them. We continue to help form and define our government through exercising our responsibility to vote. We help shape our government by electing representatives of our government as well as participating in voting for passage of many local and state propositions. Just think of where our country may be without the commitment of those before us who have worked and those now who continue to work to establish and form the laws that govern our society and protect our rights.

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