Introduction to Law 

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Law is a system of rules and regulations that are governed and enforced by a political authority and the legal system.

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Law began when over time skills were specialized forcing greater interaction and dependency between people.

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Increased interaction caused by laws required rules and regulations to maintain order within a community by providing security for each member.

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Law maintains order by guaranteeing future planning and creating a sense of physical security and security of your property.

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Law has always existed through rules developed as customs or traditions.

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In a few societies law was written down, such as the Code of Hammurabi, the first laws written down.

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The first communities with the law only needed simple laws but, over time the laws needed to be more complex.

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Laws became more complex because of population increases which led to more conflict, technological advances, and immigration patterns.

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Laws today focus on ensuring security and enforcing codes of conduct.

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Laws do not always equal justice.

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Law does not equal justice because laws are written and objective and are difficult to deter from.

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Law does not equal justice because laws are decided by a majority and cannot always answer the needs of all.

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Laws do not equal justice because laws are enforced by judges who use their discretion on how the laws are applied.

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Ethics is a set of principles or moral values of a society, distinguishing right from wrong.

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Laws will sometimes reflect ethics and sometimes will conflict with ethics.

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Ethics can develop law by clearing up ambiguity caused by law.

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Ethics become law when it gains a large consensus amongst the population and addresses an issue and is considered a serious threat to the well-being of the community.

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Private law is the rules that regulate the legal relationship between individual citizens.

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Examples of private law include contract law, employment law, commercial law, and property law.

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Public law rules govern the relationship between citizens and their state.

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Examples of public law include criminal law, tax law, highway law, and bankruptcy law.

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Civil law is when legislative authority makes and codifies the law.

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Common law is when the basis for the law is in precedence and case law or jurisprudence.

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The three elements that make up the legal system include the legislative mechanism, the laws, and the administration and enforcement of laws.

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The legislative system decides how laws are applied.

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Laws are the rules of behavior imposed or accepted by society.

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The administration and enforcement of laws is a system to impose punishment for breaking the law.

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