Sources of Law by Savannah S https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig Four primary sources of law in the United States en-us 2021-04-05 02:07:04 UTC 2025-10-04 15:33:27 UTC hello@padlet.com Constitutions sszefel2015 https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381807241
  • A constitution is a charter that establishes the government and the rules under which the government must be run (lawshelf.com)
  • Discusses what the responsibility and power of the government is 
  • Provides guidance on how the government is organized 
  • Considered our "supreme law of the land"
  • There is a federal constitution and separate constitutions for each of the 50 states


    • ]]>     2021-04-05 02:23:30 UTC https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381807241     Statutes sszefel2015 https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381857389
  • Statutes are laws written by legislative bodies of government at the federal, state, and local levels 
  • Courts must apply statutes, if available, to the facts of the case (lawshelf.com)
  • If a state law contradicts a federal law, the state is required to abide by the federal law (apnm.org)
  • State legislatures regulate statutes more than Congress. For example, states have more statutes regarding the creation of public health agencies and disease control and prevention

    • ]]>     2021-04-05 02:47:17 UTC https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381857389     Administrative Regulations sszefel2015 https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381857807
  • Regulations are rules issued by state or federal administrative agencies 
  • Provides the rules for how a law will be applied and enforced (lawshelf.com)
  • Created by executive branch administrative agencies
  • Regulations play a crucial role in health policy and law
  • Developed through formal and informal rulemaking
  • Can be overridden by a statute

    • ]]>     2021-04-05 02:47:30 UTC https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381857807     Common Law sszefel2015 https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381858365
  • Common law is a body of unwritten laws based on legal precedents established by the courts (Segal)
  • Also known as judge-made law
  • Judges are able to interpret the meanings of the law by applying them to real life people and cases
  • When a judge decides a case and publishes a written decision, the decision becomes precedent for future litigation (apnm.org)
  • Influenced by stare decisis, which says prior case law decisions should be followed and not frequently overturned 
  • Lower courts can never overturn decisions made by higher courts

    • ]]>     2021-04-05 02:47:43 UTC https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381858365     Law sszefel2015 https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381872106
  • Law is defined as a body of rules of action or conduct prescribed by controlling authority, and having binding legal force
  • Laws are meant to maintain order, describe legal rights and responsibilities, and define the outer limits of our interactions with each other and the government

    • ]]>     2021-04-05 02:54:50 UTC https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1381872106     sszefel2015 https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1389836636 2021-04-07 02:58:34 UTC https://padlet.com/sszefel2015/1y8xhxw46x8d4yig/wish/1389836636