Common law

Common law is a legal tradition developed in England through royal courts, judicial precedent, statutes, and local customs. Its rules are shaped by court decisions as well as legislation.

Precedent: A prior decision or practice used as a reason for deciding a later case. Common-law courts use earlier decisions to guide later rulings.
Henry II of England: King of England from 1154 to 1189, whose legal reforms strengthened royal justice and common procedures. His reign expanded royal courts and helped form a common law across the realm.
Civil law (legal system): A legal tradition whose private law is organized chiefly through comprehensive codes and statutes. It contrasts with common law's historically prominent reliance on judicial precedent.
United States law: The legal system of the United States, combining federal and state law under a written constitution. Most US jurisdictions inherited common-law methods, adapted to American institutions.
Stare decisis: The doctrine that courts should follow relevant precedents when deciding cases. It gives precedent its characteristic force in common-law adjudication.
Curia Regis: The king's council in medieval England, from which several central royal courts developed. It was an institutional ancestor of the courts that developed English common law.
Statutory law: Law enacted by a legislature or other lawmaking body. Statutes are a distinct source of rules that common-law courts interpret and apply.
Commonwealth of Australia: A federation whose legal system derives substantially from English common law and includes federal and state jurisdictions. Australian courts use common-law precedent within a federal constitutional system.
Ratio decidendi: The legal principle necessary to a court's decision, which may bind lower courts as precedent. It identifies which part of a common-law judgment carries precedential authority.
Writ: A formal written command issued by a court or authority, historically used to initiate English legal actions. Access to royal justice often depended on obtaining an appropriate writ.

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