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Civil-law system
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A basic legal system that relies on scholarly interpretations of codes and constitutions rather than court interpretations of prior court decisions, as in common-law systems
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Doctrine of stare decisis
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A method of case resolution in which courts follow earlier court decision when the same issues arise again in lawsuits
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Equity
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Fairness, or a body of principles constituting what is fair and right
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Classifications of U.S. Law
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1. Classifications as either criminal or civil
2. Classification by subject matter
3. Classification as either substantive or procedural law
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Criminal Law
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A classification of law that applies to acts that societ deems so harmful to teh public welfare that government is responsible for prosecuting and punishing the perpetrators
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Civil law
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A classification of law that applies to legal matters not governed by criminal law and that protects rights and provides remedies for breaches of duties owed to others
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Classification by Subject Matter
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Group cases by type, defined by parties' rights and liabilities. In addition to criminal law, are contracts, torts, agency, and property law (civil law)
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Substantive law
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Creates, defines, and regulates parties' rights, duties, and powers
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Procedural Law
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A classification of law that prescribes the steps, or processes, for enforcing the rights and duties defined by substantive law.
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Jurisdiction
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The power of a court to decide cases of a certain type or within a specific territory
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Five sources of Law
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1. A constitution, which establishes fundamental rights and creates the other branches of government
2. The legislative branch - Congress and state legislatures, for example - which enact statutes
3. The judicial branch - courts - which decide cases
4. The executive branch - the president and state governors, for example - which enforces law
5. Administrative agencies - in reality, part of the executive branch - which make and enforce regulation
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Commerce Clause
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The provision of the U.S. Constitution that give Congress the power to regulate commerce (trade) with foreign nations and among the states (interstate commerce)
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Due Process Clause
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The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing notice and a hearing before the federal government can deprive any person of life, liberty, or property; and teh Fourteenth Amendment's extension of these the same requirements to state government actions
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Equal Protection Clause
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A part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting state laws that discriminate unfairly or arbitrarily, and requiring equal treatment to all persons under like circumstances and conditions
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Guest Statute
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A law requiring a passenger who has been injured in a vehicle accident and is seeking to recover damages to establish that the accident resulted form the driver's gross negligence.
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