Law is the body of rules developed by a government or society to deal with various areas such as crime, trade, social relations, property and finance. They are controlled and enforced by the governing authority, often through law enforcement agencies such as police departments.
Law can be defined in several different ways by authors. Some consider it to be the whole legal body of a political society; others define it as the set of rules that guide conduct in a legally organized social institution.
Sociological School of Law: – The sociological school began in the mid nineteenth century and takes law as an instrument of social progress. It considers law as a means of protecting individual rights and promoting social justice, as well as preventing conflict and maintaining orderly society.
Realist Definition of Law: – It is a branch of the sociological school that focuses on the actual functioning and effects of law in practice. It is based on a model that best explains how the legal world works as evidenced by defendants’ behavior rather than as a prescriptive and backward looking approach.
Biblical Law: – The word “law” is found in the Bible more than 400 times and can refer to a variety of things, such as the commands and regulations of the Mosaic covenant. The word can also mean instruction or direction from God.
Religious Law: – Religion is an important source of law in many cultures, particularly in Jewish and Islamic societies. It can be expressed in various ways, including the Quran and the Torah, or can be interpreted through jurisprudence known as Sharia and Fiqh.
In the United States, laws are compiled in a code that is published by the federal government and is available for public viewing. The code contains most public laws that are currently in force in the country. The codes are indexed to subject matter and cross-referenced with the U.S. Constitution for easy use.
Using the Rule of Law: – The rule of law is a tenet of a democratic society, and requires that all members of the community obey the laws and are treated equally in society. This consists of transparency in the creation and enforcement of laws, as well as fairness in their design and execution.
The concept of the rule of law reemerged in ancient Greece, where it is associated with the notion of justice. It later became part of Western culture and was reintroduced by natural lawyers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued that all humans are moral beings who have unchangeable moral laws that are inextricably linked to the rest of nature.
Law in the Modern World: – The modern definition of law is the rules that govern the behavior of individuals. These rules are a collection of legal doctrines that have been created by governments and societies to guide the behavior of people in order to maintain peace, preserve the status quo, protect individual rights, and promote social justice.