2. Answer the following questions.

1. Why are there different traditions of law in the world?

2. Why has the most of the United States adopted English common law?

3. What features are specific to common law?

4. Why do judges of common law system apply laws to a new case?

5. What is necessary for applying the previous precedent for a case?

3. Decide whether the statements are true or false.

1. Civil (or Roman) law is applied in states which were colonies of some European countries.

2. Common Law as a set of legal rules was created in 1066.

3. There wasn’t any uniform court system in England before the Normans invasion.

4. During Norman kings reigning judges administered justice only in London to avoid differences in deciding cases.

5. Judges haven’t any powers to decide cases by the analogy of previous recorded ones.

4. Match the terms to their definitions.

authority equity abuse enforce code transaction case crime penalty doctrine

the action or process of buying or selling something; the use of something in a bad, dishonest, or harmful way; an illegal activity or action; to make sure that a law or rule is obeyed by people; a punishment for breaking a rule or law; the power to make decisions or tell people what to do; a set of principles or beliefs, especially religious or political ones; a set of rules about how something should be done or how people should behave; a fair or reasonable way of behaving towards people; a legal matter that will be decided in a court.

5. Choose the correct word.

1. Some _________ in modern society are so complex that few of us would risk making them without first seeking legal advice.

1. transcript b)transit c) transaction d) transmission

2. ________ need not be made by governments, and they need not be written down.

1. laws b) customs c) rules of behaviour d) judgements

3. When _________ make laws for their citizens, they use a system of courts backed by the power of the police to enforce these laws.

1. states b) executives c) governors d) governments

4. Another purpose of making laws is the implementation of ______.

1. equity b) judiciary c) justification d) justice

5. The principal sources of English Law are _________, and Judicial Precedent.

1. legislation b) legation c) legitimation d) legislature

6. The doctrine of _________ is still a central feature of modern common law systems.

1. presumption b) precedent c) president d) precedence

7. The ________law comprised the wisdom and experience of many generations of judges.

1. civil b) criminal c) common d) continental

8. __________ passes hundreds of new laws every year.

1. parliament b) authority c) government d) court

9. _________ tend to state very general principles and they are hard to amend.

1. constructions b) constituencies c) constraints d) constitutions

10. Today, _________ are by far the most substantial source of the law that American courts apply.

1. standards b) statements c) statuses d) statutes