Outline Paper Title: the Common Law Tradition and Sources of Law
Attorney A. J. Mitchell BUSN-420-61326 Business Law Hazel G. Sturdebant OUTLINE PAPER TITLE: the common law tradition and sources of law
I. THESIS STATEMENT:
A. Common law is a legal system that is largely formed by the decisions previously made by courts and not imposed by legislatures or other government officials. The reasoning used to interpret this type of law is known as casuistry, or case-based reasoning. It is a strict, principle-based reasoning that uses the circumstances of a case to evaluate the laws that are applicable. Decisions that were made about similar cases are valuable, and the case in question is evaluated on the basis of past cases. The strength of the similarity among the cases, in turn, strengthens the reasoning based on them. B. The term "common law" also underlines the fact that this type of law did not originate from equity, maritime and other special branches of law. Statutes serve as brief explanations of law and therefore are not very explanatory. Codification is the process by which a statue is passed, expressed within a single document, so that it is understood within existing law rather than creating the need for new laws. C. The common-law system prevails in England, the United States, and other countries colonized by England. The common-law system is used in all the states of the United States except Louisiana, where French Civil Law combined with English Criminal Law to form a hybrid system. Anglo-American common law traces its roots to the medieval idea that the law as handed down from the king's courts represented the common custom of the people.
II. WHAT IS COMMON LAW? A. Common Law is the body of law developed from custom or judicial decisions in English and U.S. courts, not attributable to a legislature.
III. WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF AMERICAN LAW?
A. The United States Constitution and the
I. THESIS STATEMENT:
A. Common law is a legal system that is largely formed by the decisions previously made by courts and not imposed by legislatures or other government officials. The reasoning used to interpret this type of law is known as casuistry, or case-based reasoning. It is a strict, principle-based reasoning that uses the circumstances of a case to evaluate the laws that are applicable. Decisions that were made about similar cases are valuable, and the case in question is evaluated on the basis of past cases. The strength of the similarity among the cases, in turn, strengthens the reasoning based on them. B. The term "common law" also underlines the fact that this type of law did not originate from equity, maritime and other special branches of law. Statutes serve as brief explanations of law and therefore are not very explanatory. Codification is the process by which a statue is passed, expressed within a single document, so that it is understood within existing law rather than creating the need for new laws. C. The common-law system prevails in England, the United States, and other countries colonized by England. The common-law system is used in all the states of the United States except Louisiana, where French Civil Law combined with English Criminal Law to form a hybrid system. Anglo-American common law traces its roots to the medieval idea that the law as handed down from the king's courts represented the common custom of the people.
II. WHAT IS COMMON LAW? A. Common Law is the body of law developed from custom or judicial decisions in English and U.S. courts, not attributable to a legislature.
III. WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF AMERICAN LAW?
A. The United States Constitution and the