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class="container-fluid"> <div class="row"> <div title="Definitions Frame"></div> <div id="extracted-content"> <div id="main-content"> <h1 class="title" id="page-title"> law </h1> <p dir="ltr"> <span> Law refers to a system of rules that regulate the conduct of a community, and is often enforced by a controlling authority through penalties. </span> </p> <p dir="ltr"> <span> When people refer to the "law" of the United States, they most likely mean its </span> <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/legal_systems"> law system </a> . The U.S. employs a <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/common_law"> common law </a> system, which means the laws are typically derived from judicial decisions instead of statutes. A common law system relies on decisions made by judges on cases that have come to trial, and the compilation of these decisions is called <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/case_law#:~:text=Case%20law%20is%20law%20that,and%20regulations%20are%20written%20abstractly."> case law </a> . Other countries, such as <a href="https://www.loc.gov/law/help/legal-research-guide/japan.php"> Japan </a> , employ a <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/civil_law"> civil law </a> system, which relies on codes that explicitly specify the rules that judges must follow in order to come to a decision. In such a system, decisions are often not subject to individual interpretation. </p> <p dir="ltr"> <span> “Law” can also mean “ </span> <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/505/504/#tab-opinion-1959085"> state law </a> ,” which includes common law, <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/statute"> statutes </a> , and <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/regulation"> regulations </a> . The same is true for “ <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/case/dehart-v-town-austin"> federal law </a> .” </p> <p dir="ltr"> <span> Yet another distinction of law is that between </span> <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/procedural_law"> procedural law </a> and <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/substantive_law"> substantive law </a> . "Procedural law" refers to the guarantees of specific procedural methods and rules, and is distinguished from "substantive law," which refers to the rights and duties of everyday conduct, such as those related to contract law and tort law. </p> <p dir="ltr"> <span> Additionally, </span> <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/international_law"> international </a> law is "composed only of those rules that States universally abide by, or accede to, out of a sense of legal obligation and mutual concern." (See <a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-2nd-circuit/1036814.html"> <em> Flores v. Southern Peru Copper Corporation </em> </a> ) </p> <p dir="ltr"> <span> [Last reviewed in July of 2023 by the </span> <a href="https://about.law.cornell.edu/project/wex-definitions/"> <span> Wex Definitions Team </span> </a> <span> ] </span> </p> <p> <strong> Wex </strong> </p> <ul> <li> <a aria-label="Civics" href="/wex/category/civics"> CIVICS </a> </li> <li> <a href="/wex/category/wex-definitions"> wex definitions </a> </li> <li> <a href="/wex/category/government"> government </a> </li> <li> <a href="/wex/category/legal-education-and-practice"> legal education and practice </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page-bottom" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="region region-bottom"> <div id="block-liidfp-2" class="block block-liidfp first last odd"> <div class="gfs"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-bottom" data-google-query-id="CNH77Z7C7d8CFURLAQodp9oMpg"> <script type="text/javascript"> googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-bottom'); }); </script> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <aside id="supersizeme" class="col-sm-4" aria-label="Sponsor Listings and Toolbox panel"> <div class="block" id="toolbox"> <h2 class="title toolbox"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-briefcase"></span> Wex Toolbox </h2> <div class="socSep"> <hr /> </div> <div class="addthis_sharing_toolbox"></div> <div class="socSep"> <hr /> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> var addthis_config = { data_track_addressbar: false, data_track_clickback: true, publid: 'liiadverts', ui_tabindex: 0, ui_508_compliant: true }; var addthis_share = { url_transforms: { shorten: { twitter: 'bitly' } }, shorteners: { bitly: { login: 'liicornell', apiKey: 'R_75b99d95e1c3033c4dbea23ce04bf5d3' } }, passthrough: { twitter: { via: 'LIICornell' } } }; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=liiadverts" async="async"></script> </div> <div class="block" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="gfs"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-top'> <script type='text/javascript'> googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-top'); }); </script> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="gfs"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-middle'> <script type='text/javascript'> googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-middle'); }); </script> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-lii-justia-find-lawyers-sidebar" class="block block-lii last even"> <div id="block-lii-justia-lawyers" class="block block-lii last even"> <div class="sidebar"> <div class="results-sponsored"> <div data-directive="j-find-a-lawyer" data-crosslink="seemorelawyers" data-domain="lawyers.law.cornell.edu"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </aside> </main> <footer id="liifooter" class="container-fluid"> <ul id="liifooternav" class="nav navbar-nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/lii/about/accessibility" class="nav">Accessibility</a> </li> <li class="first"> <a href="/lii/about/about_lii" class="nav">About LII</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/about/contact_us" class="nav">Contact us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/help_out/sponsor">Advertise here</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/help" class="nav">Help</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/terms/documentation" class="nav">Terms of use</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/lii/terms/privacy_policy" class="nav">Privacy</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right"> <li> <a href="/" title="LII home page"> <img width="62" height="43" src="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/all/themes/liizenboot/images/LII_logo_footer.gif" alt="LII logo"> </a> </li> </ul> </footer> <script> jQuery(document).ready(function () { jQuery("#liisearchlink").click(function () { jQuery("#liisearch").toggle('slide'); jQuery("#liinavbarstuff").toggleClass('searchboxslid'); }); }); jQuery(document).ready(function () { jQuery('[data-toggle="tooltip"]').each(function () { var $elem = jQuery(this); $elem.tooltip({ html: true, container: $elem, delay: { hide: 400 } }); }); }); </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/staticsite_scripts/htmldiff.js"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/staticsite_scripts/lii_scriptinator.min.js"> </script> <script> window.addEventListener("load", function () { window.cookieconsent.initialise( { "palette": { "popup": { "background": "#000" }, "button": { "background": "#f1d600" } } }) }); </script> </body>

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