Law is a system of rules that are enforced through social institutions to govern behaviour. These laws can be made by collective legislatures or a single legislator, resulting in statutes, by the executive through decrees and regulations or by judges through binding precedent in common law jurisdictions.
Rule of law is the legal principle that a society should be governed by a system of laws that are fair and reasonable. It is based on the principles of procedural equality and separation of powers and is important for protecting all participants from discrimination.
Legal tradition
A set of deep rooted, historically conditioned attitudes about the nature of law and its role in a country’s culture and society. The two major legal traditions are Common Law and Civil Law.
Constitutional law
The constitution of a country lays out the fundamental rights of its people and establishes the rules that govern its government. This is also known as the Rule of Law and is an essential part of a nation’s democratic values.
Legislative law
A rule of conduct prescribed by the supreme power of a state or a nation, commanding what its subjects must do and prohibiting what they may not do; a statute. This can be established by the decrees of absolute princes, as emperors and kings, or by the formal acts of the legislatures of free states.
Judicial law
Judiciary law is a set of decisions by the courts that bind all lower courts and future decisions by the same court. This can be accomplished in a common law system, which is more expansive and detailed than the civil law systems.