What is the Role of Law in Society?
~POWER
– Strong reach of the law touches everything we do and everyone is affected/influence by
law (e.g. traffic laws regulate which side of the road we should drive on)
~IMPORTANCE
– Every society w/ a historical record has had some type of system of laws
– Many societies contributed ideas (solved problems of Federalism)
– Our legal system is largely based on the ENGLISH/ENGLAND model
– Benjamin Franklin and other Founding Fathers were influenced by ENGLISH
COMMON LAW PRINCIPLES and IROQUOIS’S SYSTEM OF FEDERALISM (where
power is divided between state and federal system)
~FASCINATION
– Television: Shows at least 1 new courtroom drama to a national audience (e.g. O.J.
Simpson trial and shows like Judge Judy allowed many to explore law on TV)
Origins of Our Law
~ENGLISH/ENGLAND ROOTS
–Land: Most valuable commodity (In 1066, the Normans conquered England. William the
Conqueror claimed he owned all the land & granted his lands to his favorite noblemen
–Statute of Frauds: Requirement that certain kinds of contracts be memorialized in
