Law is a set of rules that citizens must follow or face punishment for breaking. This includes laws governing things like how much money you can have or what kinds of crimes you can commit.
Laws are made by the government, and citizens must follow them. There are many different types of laws, depending on the country.
Civil law deals with issues such as torts (accidents or defamation), property and contracts. Criminal law, on the other hand, is concerned with offenses against a community.
Legal rights are typically valid based on other norms of law or on a source of law, such as a religious precept. For example, some religions have a specific body of law that is interpreted through a system of legal jurisprudence called Sharia.
A legal right may be enforceable if it is recognized by another law or a statutory system, or if it can be demonstrated that it is essential to the functioning of the law. For example, a right to self-defense can be established by proving that it is necessary to prevent a third person from being harmed.
Decisions by courts are often binding precedent, meaning that other courts must follow the court’s reasoning unless a party can show that the court erred or differed significantly from the earlier court’s decision. This principle is most prevalent in common law systems, but it also applies to some civil law systems. In some countries, legislatures and executive branches also issue regulations that are regarded as law.
