1. Chapter 17
Law
&
The Courts

2. Courts
a public forum used by a power base to adjudicate (to settle a case by judicial procedure) disputes and dispense civil, labor, administrative and criminal justice under its laws
Courts can be the central means for dispute resolution

3. Legal Systems
General, organized sets of legal principles that set the basis for laws and adjudication in courts

4. Anglo-Saxon Case Law Most similar to that found in the US and Canada
Task of judge is to find proper law and law evolves over time
Training of lawyers and judges in special schools
Judge should be neutral arbiter
Burden of proof lies with government

5. Continental European Code Law
Based more on accumulation of precedents than case law
Training of lawyers more generalized than other systems
Distinction between law as a tool of the state (code law) and law as something about the state (case law) is most marked in criminal cases

6. Religious Law
In some religions, law can be thought of as the ordering principle of reality
Knowledge as revealed by God defining and governing all human affairs.
Law, in the religious sense, also includes codes of ethics and morality which are upheld and required by God.
Examples: Halakha (Jewish law), Hindu law, and Sharia (Islamic law) and Canon law (Christian law).
In some states, religious law is the final wor.

7. Courts Can be organized by jurisdiction or substance Types Criminal
Civil
Lower
Appeals
Juvenile
And more.