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Basis of Law
Part 1
What is law?
Law –
Current goals of law:
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Keep ________________________________
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Prevent ______________________________
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________________________________ potential and current conflict
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Promote ____________________________ and _________________________
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Promote desirable ___________________________ and _____________________________ behaviors
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Represent the ________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________ rights of minorities
Early Law Systems
Code of Hammurabi
 1760 BCE – ancient Mesopotamia
 Hammurabi – Babylonian King
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1st known ________________________________________________________________________________
282 laws
Based on lex talionis – Latin for “_____________________________________________________________”
o “eye for an eye”
Draco’s Code
• 621 BCE
• Athens, Greece
• Draco – appointed by Athenian aristocrats, who were losing power to farmers/small landowners, to write the first
law code of Athens
• Written laws could only be deciphered by the literate – rich/educated aristocrats
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___________________________________________ for small crimes
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Biased towards the __________________________________
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Unnecessarily harsh– “__________________________________________”
Replaced in 594 BCE by Solon, who kept only the homicide laws
Justinian Code
• 534 BCE
• AKA Corpus Juris Civilis – Latin for “___________________________________________________________”
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Civil law –
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Statute –
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Issued by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I
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Gathered and revised previous Roman law that was confusing and contradictory
Wrote the new set of laws on 12 bronze tablets
Legal basis for criminal justice, marriage, property, slavery, and women’s rights.
Eventually adopted by the Roman Catholica Church – “canon law” (laws of the church) – these laws existed after
the fall of the Byzantine Empire
English Common Law
• Began to form in 1066 CE after the Norman Conquest
• Common law–
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Precedent –
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Based on stare decisis – Latin for “____________________________________________________________”
Lower courts make decisions consistent with previous decisions of higher courts
Mostly uncodified
Example
Source of law
Codified?
(Written?)
Judicial role in
law-making
Judicial review
of statutes
Verdict and
sentencing
determined
by…
Role of judge
in trial
Civil Law
Justinian Code, current European nations (except
Great Britain)
Common Law
English legal system, American legal system