CHAPTER
1
Laws and
Their Ethical Foundation
1-1 Laws and Legal Systems
1-2 Types of Laws
1-3 Ethical Bases for Laws
Law for Business and Personal Use
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1-1
GOALS
 Explain the stages in the growth of law
 Describe the differences between common law and positive law
 Identify the origin of the U.S. legal system
Chapter 1
Slide 2
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 Make a list of rules the school enforces.
 Make a second list of rules you must live by in your families.
 How do these rules affect your life?
 Which rules would you like to change? Why?
 How would the changes affect you, your family, or school?
Chapter 1
Slide 3
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 Stages in the growth of law
 Common law versus positive law
Chapter 1
Slide 4
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Chapter 1
Slide 5
How does common law differ from positive law?
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 English common law
 King’s Bench
 Jury
 An example
 Advantages of English common law
 Equity: An alternative to common law
Chapter 1
Slide 6
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Chapter 1
Slide 7
On which early legal system is the
U.S. legal system based?
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1-2
GOALS
 Identify the four sources of law
 Discuss how to resolve conflicts between different sources of laws
 Compare and contrast criminal and civil law, and substantive and procedural law
Chapter 1
Slide 8
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 What is law?
Chapter 1
Slide 9
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 Constitutions
 Statutes
 Case law
 Administrative regulations
Chapter 1
Slide 10
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Chapter 1
Slide 11
What are the four sources of law?
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 Constitutions and validity
 Statutes and validity
 Administrative regulations and validity
 Case law and validity
Chapter 1
Slide 12
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Chapter 1
Slide 13
Which source of law in the United
States is the highest authority?
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 Civil and criminal laws
 Procedural and substantive laws
 Business law
 Uniform business laws
Chapter 1
Slide 14
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Chapter 1
Slide 15
Compare and contrast criminal and civil law and substantive and procedural law.
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Constitutional law Based on constitutions
Statutes Enacted by legislative bodies
Administrative law Rulings by administrative agencies
Civil law Addresses wrongs done to individuals
Criminal law
Procedural law
Addresses wrongs done to society
Deals with methods of enforcing legal rights and duties
Substantive law
Business law
Defines legal rights and duties
Rules that apply to business transactions
Chapter 1
Slide 16
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1-3
GOALS
 Define ethics
 Compare and contrast ethics based on consequences with ethics based on systems of rules
 Discuss ways in which ethics are reflected in laws
Chapter 1
Slide 17
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 What does ethics mean?
Chapter 1
Slide 18
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 Basic forms of ethical reasoning
 Consequences-based ethical reasoning
 Rule-based ethical reasoning
 Ethics reflected in laws
Chapter 1
Slide 19
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Chapter 1
Slide 20
In the U.S. system of democracy, how are ethics reflected in laws?
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