What is law for kids
What is law for kids
What is law for kids
Law (a loanword from Old Norse lag), in politics and jurisprudence, is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate, proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishments for those who do not follow the established rules of conduct.
Introduction
Law is the formal regime that orders human activities and relations through systematic application of the force of politically organized society.
Laws may require or proscribe given actions, as well as empower citizens to engage in certain activities, such as enter into contracts and draft wills. Laws may also simply mandate what procedures are to be followed in a given context; for example, the U.S. Constitution mandates how Congress, along with the President, may create laws. A more specific example might be the Securities and Exchange Act, which, along with the SEC, a regulatory body, mandates how public companies must go about making periodic disclosures to investors.
In most countries only professionals trained in the law can effectively understand and explain legal principles, draft relevant documents, and guide parties through legal disputes, whether with another private party (civil law) or with the government (often involving criminal law).
Further discussion
Most laws and legal systems—at least in the Western world—are quite similar in their essential themes, arising from similar values and similar social, economic, and political conditions, and they typically differ less in their substantive content than in their jargon and procedures. Communication between legal systems is the focus of legal translation and legal lexicography, which deals with the principles of producing a law dictionary.
One of the fundamental similarities across different legal systems is that, to be of general approval and observation, a law has to appear to be public, effective, and legitimate, in the sense that it has to be available to the knowledge of the citizen in common places or means, it needs to contain instruments to grant its application, and it has to be issued under given formal procedures from a recognized authority.
In the context of most legal systems, laws are enacted through the processes of constitutional charter, constitutional amendment, legislation, executive order, rulemaking, and adjudication. Within common law jurisdictions, rulings by judges are an important additional source of legal rules; within civil law jurisdictions, rulings do not constitute de jure for the future, but in practice, jurisprudence is often quite equivalent to common law precedent.
However, de facto laws also come into existence through custom and also tradition. (See generally Consuetudinary law; Anarchist law.)
Law has an anthropological dimension. In order to have a culture of law, people must dwell in a society where a government exists whose authority is hard to evade and generally recognised as legitimate. People forego personal revenge or self-help and choose instead to take their grievances before the government and its agents, who arbitrate disputes and enforce penalties.
This behaviour is contrasted with the culture of honor, where respect for persons and groups stems from fear of the disproportionate revenge they may exact if their person, property, or prerogatives are not respected. Cultures of law must be maintained. They can be eroded by declining respect for the law, achieved either by weak government unable to wield its authority, or by burdensome restrictions that attempt to forbid behaviour prevalent in the culture or in some subculture of the society. When a culture of law declines, there is a possibility that an undesirable culture of honor will arise in its place.
A particular society or community adopts a specific set of laws to regulate the behavior of its own members, to order life in its political territory, to grant or acknowledge the rights and privileges of its citizens and other people who may come under the jurisdiction of its courts, and to resolve disputes.
There are several distinct laws and legal traditions, and each jurisdiction has its own set of laws and its own legal system. Individually codified laws are known as statutes, and the collective body of laws relating to one subject or emanating from one source are usually identified by specific reference. (E.g., Roman law, Common law, and Criminal law.)
Moreover, the several different levels of government each produce their own laws, though the extent to which law is centralized varies. Thus, at any one place there can be conflicting laws in force at the local, regional, state, national, or international levels. (See conflict of laws, Preemption of State and Local Laws.)
Areas of law, a sampling
This list is not comprehensive.
What is law for kids
Law (a loanword from Old Norse lag), in politics and jurisprudence, is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate, proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishments for those who do not follow the established rules of conduct.
Introduction
Law is the formal regime that orders human activities and relations through systematic application of the force of politically organized society.
Laws may require or proscribe given actions, as well as empower citizens to engage in certain activities, such as enter into contracts and draft wills. Laws may also simply mandate what procedures are to be followed in a given context; for example, the U.S. Constitution mandates how Congress, along with the President, may create laws. A more specific example might be the Securities and Exchange Act, which, along with the SEC, a regulatory body, mandates how public companies must go about making periodic disclosures to investors.
In most countries only professionals trained in the law can effectively understand and explain legal principles, draft relevant documents, and guide parties through legal disputes, whether with another private party (civil law) or with the government (often involving criminal law).
Further discussion
Most laws and legal systems—at least in the Western world—are quite similar in their essential themes, arising from similar values and similar social, economic, and political conditions, and they typically differ less in their substantive content than in their jargon and procedures. Communication between legal systems is the focus of legal translation and legal lexicography, which deals with the principles of producing a law dictionary.
One of the fundamental similarities across different legal systems is that, to be of general approval and observation, a law has to appear to be public, effective, and legitimate, in the sense that it has to be available to the knowledge of the citizen in common places or means, it needs to contain instruments to grant its application, and it has to be issued under given formal procedures from a recognized authority.
In the context of most legal systems, laws are enacted through the processes of constitutional charter, constitutional amendment, legislation, executive order, rulemaking, and adjudication. Within common law jurisdictions, rulings by judges are an important additional source of legal rules; within civil law jurisdictions, rulings do not constitute de jure for the future, but in practice, jurisprudence is often quite equivalent to common law precedent.
However, de facto laws also come into existence through custom and also tradition. (See generally Consuetudinary law; Anarchist law.)
Law has an anthropological dimension. In order to have a culture of law, people must dwell in a society where a government exists whose authority is hard to evade and generally recognised as legitimate. People forego personal revenge or self-help and choose instead to take their grievances before the government and its agents, who arbitrate disputes and enforce penalties.
This behaviour is contrasted with the culture of honor, where respect for persons and groups stems from fear of the disproportionate revenge they may exact if their person, property, or prerogatives are not respected. Cultures of law must be maintained. They can be eroded by declining respect for the law, achieved either by weak government unable to wield its authority, or by burdensome restrictions that attempt to forbid behaviour prevalent in the culture or in some subculture of the society. When a culture of law declines, there is a possibility that an undesirable culture of honor will arise in its place.
A particular society or community adopts a specific set of laws to regulate the behavior of its own members, to order life in its political territory, to grant or acknowledge the rights and privileges of its citizens and other people who may come under the jurisdiction of its courts, and to resolve disputes.
There are several distinct laws and legal traditions, and each jurisdiction has its own set of laws and its own legal system. Individually codified laws are known as statutes, and the collective body of laws relating to one subject or emanating from one source are usually identified by specific reference. (E.g., Roman law, Common law, and Criminal law.)
Moreover, the several different levels of government each produce their own laws, though the extent to which law is centralized varies. Thus, at any one place there can be conflicting laws in force at the local, regional, state, national, or international levels. (See conflict of laws, Preemption of State and Local Laws.)
Areas of law, a sampling
This list is not comprehensive.
rules and laws
Rules and laws are guidelines for how people should behave. They are based on ideas about what is right and wrong. Instructions are also called rules. For instance, there are rules of grammar (how a language works) and rules of a game (how a game is played). However, this article is concerned with rules that apply to a person’s behavior.
Rules are how adults teach children how to behave in society. Parents form rules when their child is very young, often to keep the child safe. For instance, parents may have a rule that their toddler not run in the house. This rule protects the child from falling or getting hurt by something sharp or hard.
Children are also given rules that teach them to respect others. They learn that it is wrong to hit others but that it is good to share with them. As they get older and attend school, children are given more rules by their teachers. They are taught to raise their hand in the classroom and not to speak out of turn. These rules teach children how they should behave in school and how to interact respectfully with others.
Laws are rules that have been passed by a government’s legislature. If someone breaks the law, a crime has been committed and that person is usually punished. If a person drives a car faster than the law says the car should be going, that person could get a ticket and would have to pay money to the government. More serious crimes like murder or robbery cause a person to go to jail. Laws mostly apply to adults. Children may be punished for committing a crime, but the punishment is not as severe.
What is law for kids
Introduction
All modern governments have sets of rules called laws. Laws are based on ideas about what is right and wrong. Governments punish people who do not obey laws. People who work with laws are called lawyers. The collection of all the laws in a country or a region is called the law.
Where Laws Come From
In the past, many laws were based on tradition, or the common practices of a people. Other laws came from rulers or lawgivers. Units of government called legislatures make most modern laws. The United States and many other countries have several levels of legislatures—for example, local, state, and national. All of them make laws.
The United Kingdom and some other countries, including the United States, do not get all their laws from legislatures. They also get laws from the decisions of judges.
Branches of Law
There are two main branches of law: criminal and civil. Criminal law deals with crime. The government usually puts people accused of breaking criminal laws on trial in a court. If the court finds an accused person—called the defendant—guilty, he or she is punished. Punishment may be a fine of money, a prison term, or death.
Civil law deals with disagreements between people. People file a lawsuit in a civil court if they think someone has treated them unfairly. The person who files the suit is called the plaintiff. Usually the plaintiff wants money from the other person—called the defendant.
History of Law
Many modern countries use either the English or the French system of law. Colonists brought English laws with them to North America and other places. In Europe and Latin America, many countries base their laws on the Napoleonic Code. The French emperor Napoleon I introduced this code of laws in 1804.
Did You Know?
Civil law is used in continental Europe, as well as in some parts of Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
It’s here: the NEW Britannica Kids website!
We’ve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements!
What is a law?
For Kids
Laws are a set of rules. Games have rules. Your parents may give you rules you have to follow. But some rules are so important that are made into laws. Laws made by a government are rules that everyone affected by those laws must follow. You’ve probably heard the expression «It’s the law!» In government, most laws are created to protect people and property. Those laws have a great deal to do with our daily life. You’ve probably seen a stop sign posted by the side of road, or a sign that swings open on the side of school bus that says STOP. These are pictures of laws that must be obeyed.
In ancient times, rulers made the laws, but most of them did not write laws down, not even with pictures. It was a problem. People were confused about what they could and could not do. But a couple of rulers became famous because they did write down their laws. Two of the most famous ancient rulers who wrote laws down were Hammurabi, a king of ancient Babylon, and Justinian, an ancient Roman emperor.
In ancient times, in most places, if people thought a law they had to obey was unfair, there wasn’t much they could do about it except rise up and defeat their ruler. But even if they were successful, there was no guarantee that a new ruler would create better laws. Today, in most places in the world, people have a voice in making laws. In the United States, we elect people to make our laws. But the people we elect cannot make just any law they feel like making. They are limited by state and federal constitutions, which spell out what they can and cannot do. Once they check to make sure the new law they want to be enacted is «constitutional», they then have to present a «bill» to the rest of the lawmakers. A bill is the new law they would like to see passed and enforced, and give reasons why it’s a good new law.