Customary law

Customary law consists of established community practices accepted as legally binding. Its rules develop through repeated conduct and shared recognition rather than solely through formal legislation.

Custom: A repeated social practice accepted as a norm within a community. Repeated conduct supplies the practices from which customary law develops.
Legal norm: A standard that directs or permits conduct and is treated as legally authoritative. Customary law is one way legal norms arise and gain authority.
Customary international law: International law formed by general state practice accepted as law. It is the principal form of custom recognized among states.
Statutory law: Law enacted by a legislature or other authorized lawmaking body. It arises through formal enactment rather than gradual community practice.
Legal recognition: Official acknowledgment that a person, institution, status, or rule has legal standing. Recognition by courts or states can determine whether a community custom has legal effect.
Opinio juris: The belief that a practice is followed because law requires or permits it. This sense of legal obligation distinguishes binding custom from mere habit.
Social norm: A shared expectation about conduct within a group, enforced through social responses. A social norm can be widespread without being treated as legally binding.
Indigenous law: Legal orders developed and maintained by Indigenous peoples through their own institutions and traditions. Many Indigenous legal orders include rules transmitted and maintained through customary practice.
Treaty: A binding agreement between states or other subjects of international law. Treaties create obligations through express agreement, unlike customary international law.
Self-determination: The right of peoples to determine their political status and pursue their development. Recognition of customary law can support Indigenous authority and self-governance.

Linked from 20 pages