1. Section 1.1

2. Chapter 1 Ethics and Law Section 1.1 Defining Ethics Section 1.2
Sources of Law

3. Why It’s Important
Learning how to apply ethical principles will help you make ethical decisions.

4. Pre-Learning Question
How do you make ethical decisions?

5. How Ethical Decisions Are Made
Determining the difference between right and wrong can be difficult.
Individuals use different methods to choose the right thing to do in any given situation.

6. How Ethical Decisions Are Made
Morality involves the values that govern a society’s attitude toward right and wrong.
Ethics, in contrast, are the means for determining what a society’s values ought to be.

7. How Ethical Decisions Are Made
Throughout your life, you will face many ethical problems.
Adopting a consistent ethical standard can help you with big or small moral problems.

8. Feelings and Opinions
Some people base their ethical standards on whether or not the act “feels” right.

9. The Greatest Good
Some people feel that an action that creates the greatest good for the greatest number of people is a sound basis for making ethical decisions.
Example 2 – page 7

10. The Golden Rule
Others base their ethical standards on the Golden Rule, which states:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
The heart of the Golden Rule is
EMPATHY

11. Ethical Character Traits
Honesty is being open and truthful with other people.
Justice is treating other people fairly and equally.

12. Ethical Character Traits
Compassion is being sympathetic to the difficulties of others.
Integrity is doing what is right regardless of personal consequences.

13. Describe the characteristics of justice.

14. ANSWER
Treating people fairly and equally.

15. Pre-Learning Question
How do you think ethics relates to law?

16. The Relationship Between Ethics and Law
If everyone made the same ethical decisions with the same results, there would be no need for law. In the real world, however, some people engage in conduct that most people agree is wrong.

17. Why Law Is Necessary
Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the government of a society to maintain stability and justice.

18. Why Law Is Necessary
Law defines the legal rights and duties of the people and provides the means of enforcing these rights and duties.

19. Ethics and Legal Conflicts
Because law is made by people, it is imperfect.
Legislators and judges bring their own personal opinions on ethics to the lawmaking process.
As a result, ethics and law will sometime conflict.
Example: Obey the Ethics of journalism by refusing to identify the source of the story, however refused to
obey the legal order of a judge to identify the source.

20. Define law.

21. ANSWER
Law is the rules of conduct established by the government of a society to maintain stability and justice.
End of Section 1.1

22. Section 1.2
Sources of Law

23. Why It’s Important
Learning how the law is made will help you make decisions regarding your legal responsibilities.

24. Section Outline The Five Main Sources of U.S. Law Constitutional Law
Common Law
Statutory Law
Court Decisions
Administrative Regulations

25. Constitutional Law
A country’s constitution spells out the principles by which the government operates.
In our country, the most fundamental law is the U.S. Constitution

26. The U. S. Constitution sets forth the fundamental rights of citizens
defines the limits within which the federal and state governments may pass laws
describes the functions of different branches and divisions of our national government

27. The U. S. Constitution consists of 7 articles and 27 amendments
the articles establish the national government
the amendments outline the rights of the people
The constitution was ratified in 1787 (Articles of Confederation and US Constitution)

28. The Articles of the Constitution
1.2
The Articles of the Constitution
of the United States, in order to form…
Article I. The Legislative Branch
Article II. The Executive Branch
Article III. The Judicial Branch
Article IV. Relations Among States
Article V. The Amending Process
Article VI. National Supremacy
Article VII. The Ratification of the
Constitution
Look at Figure 1.3 on page 15

29. Amendments First 10 are called Bill of Rights
limit the power of the government
The basic purpose is to protect two kinds of rights.
rights of individual liberty
rights of persons accused of crimes
The other 17 amendments are revisions made to the constitution.

30. State Constitutions Each state has its own constitution
Not identical to the federal Constitution
Can be more protective, narrow, and more restrictive

31. Common Law
In the early days of English history, judges traveled in circuits around England deciding cases.
Because there was no written law, judges made decisions based on customs and traditions.

32. Common Law Judges shared their decisions with other judges.
They tried to share the same law “in common” with everyone else throughout the country.
This practice formed the basis of common law.

33. Precedent
Common law led to the doctrine of precedent, which means a judge is required to follow an earlier court decision when deciding a case with similar circumstances.
Stare decisis means “let the decision stand.”

34. Precedent
What rules are established in your home because it follows a precedent?
What “laws” exist between parents and children?

35. How many amendments are there to the U.S. Constitution?

36. ANSWER 27

37. Statutory Law
Statutes are laws specifically passed by a governing body, such as the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, and city councils.

38. Statutory Law
A statute may order people to do something, such as pay taxes or sign up for the military draft.
Or a statute may forbid people from doing something, such as discriminating in employment.

39. Statutory Law
Federal statutes are laws passed by Congress and signed by the president.
State statues are laws passed by a state’s own legislature, or body of lawmakers.

40. Statutory Law
Federal and state statutes cannot conflict with the U.S. Constitution, or they may be ruled unconstitutional, or invalid by the Supreme Court.

41. Court Decisions Courts make laws in three ways:
through common-law tradition
by interpreting statutes
by judicial review

42. Administrative Regulations
Legislatures often give the power to regulate a particular kind of activity to an administrative, or regulatory, agency. (i.e. FCC, FDA, FTC)
Administrative law consists of those rules and procedures established by regulatory agencies.

43. Sunflower City passed an ordinance that requires all commercial signage to incorporate a sunflower into the design. What is the source of this law?

44. ANSWER
Statutory law
End of Section 1.2