Law is a complex set of precepts and guidelines designed to control human behavior and keep societal order. It acts as a tool to deal with issues of rationality, justice, morality, and honesty from both judicial and societal viewpoints.
Legal systems are often the product of political actions, and a nation’s laws differ greatly from country to country. Generally, however, there are three components to any government that makes and enforces law: legislative statutes; executive regulations; and court decisions. In the United States, for example, the Constitution establishes the framework of a democratic rule of law whereby legislators, the executive branch, and the judiciary all share power over the law and are accountable to the public. This is known as the separation of powers and prevents one person or group from gaining total authority over the citizens of that nation.
A broad view of law encompasses all rules, policies, codes, and guidelines that are created and enacted to regulate behavior or protect property. Some areas of law are more narrowly defined, such as a particular type of contract or a specific form of criminal justice. For a more detailed breakdown of the scope of law, see articles on civil and common law; commercial law; criminal law; international law; family law; and biolaw.
The principal functions of law are to: (1) keep the peace, (2) maintain the status quo, (3) ensure social justice and equality, and (4) provide for orderly change and growth in society. It is important to note, however, that some governments fail to serve these basic functions. This is often the result of corrupt or authoritarian rule that does not respect the rights of minorities or its own citizens.