Answer:
Sources of Law
Laws are the rules of conduct established to maintain stability and justice in a community. When taking the oath of office on August 9, 1974, President Gerald Ford referred to the United States’ government and political framework by stating “Our great republic is a government of laws and not men.”
Laws provide ways for our society to resolve disputes civilly and ensure a peaceful and well-functioning society.
In this presentation, we will examine the four primary sources of law at the state and federal levels. These four sources of law are the United States Constitution, federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and case law.
United States Constitution
Each country’s legal system has its own sources of law, but for those systems that enact Constitutions, the Constitutions are the most fundamental of the sources of law.[1] A Constitution is a charter that establishes the government and the rules under which the government must run.
The United States Constitution, therefore, is our “supreme law of the land” (in its own words). Everything within it is binding. Think of the constitution as the “ultimate” source of law, the source that all others draw from. Federal statutes, state statutes, judicial opinions and administrative laws must all comply with the Constitution’s rules.[2] The U.S. Constitution is internationally revered for its organization, its subject matter and its groundbreaking nature at the time it was ratified.[3]
The Constitution both establishes the rules for the functioning of the United States government and sets forth the fundamental freedoms and rights that each person enjoys.[4] While the Articles are mostly about the functioning of the government, the first ten amendments to the Constitution make up the “Bill of Rights,” which protect individual liberties. For example, the First Amendment prohibits Congress from making laws that abridge freedom of speech. The Second Amendment prohibits infringement on the right to keep and bear arms and the Fourth Amendment guarantees a person’s right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. Over the last 230 years, how these amendments are applied in our society has evolved, but their foundational protections have remained steady.