Law is a set of principles that govern the behavior of human society. It encompasses many fields and influences government, commerce, relationships, property, and individual liberties and rights. Its many dimensions and evolving nature make law a central theme of civilization and its study is a rich and diverse subject.
Law can mean an entire legal system, such as the law of a state or country, as well as specific statutes and court rulings. It can also refer to a particular practice area, such as criminal law or family law. The term may be used as an adjective, such as “lawyer” or “legal aid,” or as a verb, such as “to lay down the law” or “to be a lawyer.”
The meaning of law is contested by scholars and the public alike. Its importance and complexity make it a subject worthy of study for both children and adults. Law is a vast and varied field that includes such topics as contracts; property (both real and personal); statutory, constitutional and administrative law; torts; intellectual property; privacy; the environment; and war and peace.
A major dispute in the definition of law concerns its relationship to morality. For example, John Austin’s utilitarian answer to the question of what constitutes law is “commands backed by the threat of sanctions from a sovereign to whom men have a habit of obedience.” Other philosophers have disagreed with this view, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Aquinas, who argued that laws arose from natural, moral, unchangeable principles and were therefore not subject to arbitrary human choice.
Legal systems vary widely, reflecting a combination of both secular and religious factors. Contract law, for example, relates to agreements to exchange goods or services. Tort law deals with injuries or losses caused by others’ actions and can result in civil suits or criminal prosecution. Family law deals with marriage, divorce and child custody. Immigration law and nationality law deal with acquiring or losing citizenship and the right to asylum, as well as the status of stateless individuals.
Other branches of law include restitution; bankruptcy; employment law; corporate and commercial law; and tax law. Some areas of law are highly specialized, such as biolaw or environmental law.
A court ruling on a case that can be appealed to higher levels of court. En banc decisions usually involve all judges of the appellate court, rather than a panel of three judges selected at random. An en banc decision is often favorable to the petitioner, since it increases the chances that the court will reverse an earlier decision against him or her. In some countries, a court may choose to hear an en banc hearing for certain types of cases, such as when there are major changes in the legislation. This is a significant change, and the judges involved in the case are a group of very experienced jurists. The change is made to ensure that the court has an expert in the issue at hand and can consider all possible angles to the case.