Take out a sheet of notebook
paper. Number from 1 to 15.
This is NOT a Quiz!
True or False?
1. In NC, Bingo games cannot last more than 5
hours.
2. In NC, it is illegal to collect your own reward.
– Example- A woman robs a bank and tries to collect
the reward money after her arrest.
True or False?
3. In NC, you cannot climb on water tanks
without the permission of the Town
Manager.
4. In NC, you can get arrested for loitering
outside of a Police Station after dark.
True or False?
5. In NC, it is illegal to Rollerblade on state
highways.
6. In NC, it is illegal to ride a bicycle without
holding on to both handle bars.
7. In GA, it is illegal for chickens to cross the
road.
True or False?
8. In Ohio, is it legal for a policeman to bite a
dog if the officer thinks it will calm the dog
down.
9. In TX, it is illegal to sell your eyeballs.
10. In NC, it is illegal to sing off key.
True or False?
11. In GA, you may not sell a toothbrush and
tooth paste to the same customer on Sunday.
12. In Utah, marriage between cousins is illegal
only if they are under the age of 65.
13.In Alabama, bear wrestling matches are
prohibited.
True or False?
14. In Wyoming, you cannot take a picture of a
rabbit from January to April without an
official permit.
15. In Washington, a motorist with criminal
intentions must stop at the city limits and
telephone the chief of police as he is entering
the town.
Answers…
ALL THE LAWS ABOVE ARE REAL
LAWS!!!
All are TRUE!
The US Legal System
Sources of Laws
and
Basic types of Laws
What are characteristics of a
“Good Law”?
• Fairness
• Reasonable
• Understandable
• Enforceable
Source of Our Laws
• Ancient Law Codes- Hammurabi’s Code, Ten
Commandments
• Roman Codes
• English Law- Magna Carta, English Bill of
Rights, Common Law System
• American System- Declaration of
Independence, Constitution
Hammurabi’s Code
The Ten Commandments
Types of Laws
Common Law
• Law from custom,
tradition, and judicial
decisions (precedent)
Common Law Example
Imagine that you bring a case to court based upon
injuries you sustained from a car accident. You are
suing the driver who was intoxicated when the
accident happened. The judge, in adherence to
common law, must decide whether the party is
liable for your damages from the accident. He will
rely upon the arguments and statements made
during the case, as well as use prior decisions
whenever necessary to interpret any legal matters
that come up.
Criminal Law
• Relates to crime; Breaking the legal code
– Felony- serious crimes with punishment of more than
a year in jail
– Misdemeanor- less serious crimes with jail time or a
fine
• a law with a penalty (penal law)
• Laws covering harms against the state
Examples- Theft, substance abuse, sex offenses,
murder; any case brought against a defendant by
the state
Civil Law
• Laws covering contracts and relations
between individuals
• No crime has been committed
Civil Law Examples
• family law- divorce, alimony, child custody
• tort law- negligence or wrongful act/omission
causing death, personal injury, or property
damage
• probate law- handling the estate of someone
who has died
• labor law- anything having to do with the
workplace
Taking Sides
• Plaintiff- Someone who
files a lawsuit against
someone else in a civil
court
• Defendant- Someone
charged with a crime
(criminal trial) or
complaint (civil trial)
Constitutional Law
• Law found in the Constitution and that
interprets the Constitution
Constitutional Law Examples
• A court refuses to appoint a lawyer to a
defendant who can’t afford one.
• Any case where the state becomes the
defendant in a question regarding a
constitution and its amendments
Administrative Law
• Law that governs the powers of regulatory
agencies
Examples• The Environmental Protection Agency called
for a stop to businesses dumping their toxic
wastes into the ocean.
• Regulations passed by the regulatory agencies
Examples of Regulatory Agencies
• Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) – 1887
– Railroads, trucking, pipelines, barges, express carriers
• Federal Reserve Board (FRB) - 1913
– Banks
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - 1931
– Food, drugs, cosmetics
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – 1934
– Radio, television, telephone, telegraph
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - 1967
– Airline safety
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) - 1970
– Motor vehicles
Statutory Law
• Laws passed by a legislative body or governing
authority
Examples- littering, restrictions on certain
fireworks in NC
International Law
• Law that covers the rules
and principles pertaining
to the relationship
between nations or
between people in
different nations
Example- Treaty between
countries
Military Law
• the law governing the armed forces
Example- Uniform Code of Military Justice which
is a set criminal laws that apply to people in the
military
Juvenile Law
• law that deals with the actions and
the wellbeing of persons who are not yet adults
• Delinquent- a juvenile found guilty of a crime
• Status Offender- a juvenile that is found guilty
of breaking a law that wouldn’t be a crime if
they were an adult (like skipping school)
• Child Protective Services- government agency in
most states that respond to reports of child
abuse or neglect
Which type of law is this?
A court removes a child from a guardian’s
custody because of neglect
Juvenile Law
Which type of law is this?
Cases about unemployment, distribution of food
stamps, and worker’s compensation benefits
Administrative Law
Which type of law is this?
Leandro vs. the State of North Carolina
Constitutional Law
Which type of law is this?
In a case where a young person who is a US
citizen with a parent who lives in another
country, the court’s duty to serve that parent
papers. The court must follow the law(s) of the
other country
International Law
Which type of law is this?
In the case of privacy law, the question of what
is reasonable search and seizure is determined
by the individual court
Common Law
Which type of law is this?
A municipality does not follow proper procedure
to annex a new territory
Statutory Law
Which type of law is this?
The Elizabeth Smart case: The abductors are
considered a danger to society
Criminal Law
Civil and Criminal Trials