1. Chapter 1 – Business and Personal Law

2. Judicial Decisions In the American legal system, judicial (court) decisions are primary sources of law, in addition to the Constitution, statutes, and regulations. Structure of Courts covered in Chapter 2 For our learning in Chapter 1, we look at court decisions being somewhere our laws come from.

3. How the system works U. S. has parallel court systems: federal and state Both systems are divided into trial courts and appellate courts. Trial courts determine the relevant facts of a dispute and apply law to these facts, Appellate courts review trial court decisions to ensure the law was applied correctly.

4. Court Opinions Court opinions create legal precedents that guide judges in deciding similar future cases Decisions of the highest court in a court system (ex. U.S. Supreme Court in the federal system) create "mandatory" precedent that must be followed by lower courts in that jurisdiction. Similarly, intermediate appellate courts (such as the federal circuit courts of appeal) create mandatory precedent for the courts below them.

5. In Review – Laws Come from Constitution Common Law Principles Court Decisions Statutes Administrative Agencies IRS – Internal Revenue Service FDA – Food and Drug Administration OSHA – Occupational Safety & Health Admin