American law and legal systems pdf

What follows are some of the fundamental principles that comprise the American legal system. Each of these is discussed in greater detail in this and other chapters of this book. They are summarized below in order to give the reader an overview of some of the basics of American common law. The defining principle of common law is the requirement that courts follow decisions of higher level courts within the same jurisdiction. It is from this legacy of stare decisis that a somewhat predictable, consistent body of law has emerged.

The judiciary also known as the judicial sister , judicature , judicial branch or court system is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in a country, state or an international community. The first legal systems of the world were set up to allow citizens to settle conflicts without violence. The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary can also be thought of as the mechanism for the resolution of disputes. Under the doctrine of the separation of powers , the judiciary generally does not make statutory law which is the responsibility of the legislature or enforce law which is the responsibility of the executive , but rather interprets law and applies it to the facts of each case. However, in some countries the judiciary does make common law.

After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:. Law has different meanings as well as different functions. Philosophers have considered issues of justice and law for centuries, and several different approaches, or schools of legal thought, have emerged. In this chapter, we will look at those different meanings and approaches and will consider how social and political dynamics interact with the ideas that animate the various schools of legal thought. Law is a word that means different things at different times.

American legal system must under- stand how law. It also divided federal power among legislative, executive, and judi- donkeytime.org /.
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