Legal Rights and
Responsibilities
Notebooks
TP- Legal Rights and Responsibilities
(Ch. 15)
 CM- 344-358
 Geo- Map of the U.S.--Rank the
states--1 being the safest
 Graphic Organizer- 1 page paper
discussing

Notebooks
Ill. Dictionary- Felony, torts,
Jurisprudence, statute, Stare Decisis,
Writ of Habeas Corpus, Ex Post Facto,
 Section Reviews

 347
2-5
 351 2-5
 358 2-5
Functions of Law

Set of rules that
allow people to live
peacefully in a
society.
 Binding for
everyone--Nobody
is above the law
 Everyone know
what to expect…if I
steal your car, I go
to jail.
Function of Law
To prevent violent acts
 Set punishments for breaking the law
 Resolve civil disputes

 Money
 Property
 Contracts
 Non-Criminal Acts
Function of Law

To be effective laws must;
 Fair
 Equal
 Understandable
 Enforceable
Early Laws
Early laws were created for the same
reasons we have laws today.
 Early laws were passed down from
generation to generation by word of
mouth.
 Even the earliest societies had a set of
standards or laws that they lived by.

First Written Laws

Code of Hammurabi
 Set of 282 laws
 Very harsh penalties

for breaking them
The Ten Commandments
 Rules
for how people were to live and
treat one another.
 Don’t;
 Lie
 Cheat
 Steal
 Kill
Roman Laws

Jurisprudence- The Study of Law

Romans were the first to look at and
examine the laws governing its
citizens.
English Laws
Common Law- Laws based on the
courts decision rather than a set of
written laws.
 Precedents- Reviewing similar cases
in order to develop a ruling on a case.

Public Law
Rights guaranteed under the
Constitution
 Administrative Law

 Ensures
government agency act
appropriately

Statutory law (statute)
 Speed
limits
 Child labor
 Getting a drivers license
International Law
Treaties, Customs, and Agreements
among Nations
 The World Court

 Both
sides must be willing to accept
courts ruling
Military Issues
 Trade Regulations

Criminal Law
Laws that seek to prevent people from
deliberately or recklessly harming each
other or each other’s property.
 Lawyers for both sides present their
clients case to a judge or jury.
 Judges or Juries are impartial and
make the best decision based on the
evidence that has been presented to
them.

Criminal Law

In criminal cases the government is the
plaintiff.
 Plaintiff- The party that brings the charges
against the alleged criminal
 Defendant- Person that is charged with a
criminal act.
 Felonies


Serious crimes…murder, rape, etc.
Misdemeanors

Less serious crimes…traffic violations,
vandalism, etc.
Civil Law
Disputes between people or groups of
people in which no criminal laws have
been broken.
 Lawsuits
 Broken Contracts, Divorce
 Torts…civil wrongs

 A person
is injured and claims it was
caused by another persons negligence.
 Example???