Chapter 19 Laws and Our Society Focus: Comparing and contrasting: - Points about the different types of laws - Different reasons for laws - Different places these laws are made

Section 1: Why We Have Laws Laws are a set of rules that allow people to live peacefully in society They are for everyone and are enforced by the government No one is above the law- the Rule of Law Their main purpose is to keep peace and prevent violent acts

They set punishments that are meant to discourage potential criminals Laws also set the rules for resolving disputes and give you rights if your property is damaged

They protect freedoms and protect our society, according to the Constitution The Bill of Rights protect individual freedoms and other amendments, like the 14th, make sure that the laws are applied fairly

To be fully effective, laws should be fair and treat all equally To promote the common good, laws protect society from negative externalities like pollution If most people understand laws and believe they are fair and reasonable, then they will be obeyed Laws reflect our values and beliefs

Some people disobey the law is it goes against their morals Beliefs about what is fair and what is wrong or right are called morals, most of us have similar morals Some people disobey the law is it goes against their morals Civil Disobedience is breaking a law in a nonviolent way Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, MLK

Section 2: Where Our Laws Come From Laws made by a legislature are called statutes Laws passed by Congress reflect basic values shared by most Americans- type of Public Law Most laws are made by some type of legislature Judges decide cases based on laws that already exist

Many of our laws are based on Common Law laws based on custom Administrative Law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government For example, the EPA sets regulations to meet the requirements of laws passed by Congress to protect the environment Laws are organized into legal or penal codes- written collections of laws, often organized by subject Legal codes have a long history

Section 3 Kinds of Laws There are many different kinds of law Criminal law refers to laws that break the penal code or crimes against the state that harms society The main purpose of criminal law is to punish law breakers These laws must set fair and reasonable penalties if they are broken

Crimes are divided into two categories, felonies and misdemeanors A felony is a serious crime for which the penalty can be imprisonment for more than a year A misdemeanor is a non-serious crime like littering

Civil law is a group of laws that help settle disagreements between people When someone sues someone, it is a civil type of case Family law is a type of civil law that involves divorce or child custody Sometimes situations involve both civil and criminal law

Other types of law Public law is any area of law dealing with the people and the government including criminal law, Constitutional law deal with interpretations of the Constitution Administrative law is law that governs the operation of government agencies International Law deals with laws that apply to all nations, like international trade, and boundary disputes There are no enforcement powers for international law Most laws are statutory laws, meaning they have been made by a legislature