The law is the body of rules that regulate a society and are enforced by a controlling authority through penalties. These penalties may include fines, probation or incarceration. The law also includes ethical and moral rules, such as the prohibition on murder. It is often a complex subject, as there are many different types of laws and legal systems.
The United States, for example, has a common law system that draws on case law to determine legal rights and responsibilities. In this system, judicial decisions are explicitly acknowledged as law on equal footing with legislative statutes and executive regulations. This principle, called stare decisis or the doctrine of precedent, ensures that cases with similar facts will reach similar results. In contrast, some countries have a civil law system in which laws are derived from written codes and statutes, rather than case law.
There are several different branches of law, regulating everything from contract law to criminal law. Civil law outlines the ways in which people interact with one another, while criminal law deals with specific crimes and their punishments. Contract law regulates the agreements people make for the exchange of goods and services, from selling a car to buying a sandwich. Property law defines people’s rights and responsibilities toward tangible property, such as land or a house, and includes the right to inherit wealth and assets.
Labour law deals with the tripartite industrial relationship between worker, employer and trade union. It also involves collective bargaining regulation and the right to strike. Evidence law specifies what materials are admissible in court for a case to proceed, and is closely linked to procedural law.
International law is a branch of law that deals with issues that transcend the boundaries of a single country. Examples of this type of law are treaties, international conventions and the law of supranational organizations. There are three major categories of international law: public, private and conflict of laws.
The law can be seen as both an instrument of power and a tool for social justice. While the latter view is generally considered to be more politically correct, the former perspective has been criticised for its reliance on coercion. Those who believe that the law should be used to promote ethical behaviour are called “moralists”.