Legal systems can be divided into civil law and common law systems. Common law relies on precedent, while civil law uses a civil code to make laws. Civil codes are not always easy to implement as the law is constantly evolving. The US is a common law system, except for Louisiana, which uses a true civil code. Many Western European and Latin American countries also use civil law systems, often modeled on the German or French Napoleonic code.
Legal systems around the world can be divided into two general types of systems: civil law systems and common law systems. In a common law system, the law is essentially determined by the concept of stare decisive, or precedent. In a common law system, judges have an important part in making the law as they decide cases. In stark contrast to a common law system, civil law systems rely on a civil code to make laws. Many nations around the world use a civil code, including most European countries, many Latin American countries, and some Asian countries.
A civil code is essentially a system used to compile, write and codify laws within a legal system. In a traditional civil code, laws are divided into three main categories: laws relating to people, laws relating to things, and laws which contain elements of both. More modern civil codes have elaborated on the traditional categories to include inheritance laws, family laws, and other subcategories. The idea behind a civil code is that anyone can find the legal answer to a question of law simply by searching for the appropriate section of the code for the answer.
In practice, a civil code is not as easy to implement as once understood. The law is constantly evolving and constantly presents new problems and issues, making a practical use of a civil code a bit complicated. While the concept in a civil law system is that judges will only implement the law, in reality, judges often also need to interpret the law.
The United States is considered a common law legal system, modeled on the British common law system. Although many parts of the American legal system are codified in the form of the civil code, such as the Federal Code of Civil Procedure, these codes are essentially just a convenient way to simplify laws that were established as a result of the common law system used in the United States . An exception in the United States to the use of common law is found in Louisiana. Louisiana state law is a true civil code and is modeled after the French Napoleonic Code as Louisiana was once a French territory.
In addition to Louisiana in the United States, most of Western Europe and a number of Latin American countries still use a civil code legal system. The French province of Quebec in Canada also uses a civil law system. Most countries that use civil law have systems modeled on the early German code or the French Napoleonic code.
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