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Sources of Lawl How to recognize thevarious parts of theU.S. Constitutionl How to explain thecomponents ofcommon lawl How to explain thepurposes of statutorylawl How to identify thevarious ways thatcourts make lawl How the governmentmakes administrativeregulationsThe Five Main Sources of U.S. LawIn general, law in the United States today comes from five mainsources. Although these sources may seem different, they all pertain tothe law in some way. See Figure 1.2 for a summary of these sources.Constitutional LawWe have already defined law as rules of conduct established by thegovernment of a society to maintain stability and justice. A country’sconstitution spells out the principles by which the government operates.In our country, the most fundamental law is the U.S. Constitution.The Constitution of the United States Our Constitution setsforth the fundamental rights of citizens. It also defines the limits withinFigure 1.2Sources of Today’s LawLearning how the law ismade will help you makedecisions regarding yourlegal responsibilities.Federaland stateconstitutionsEnglishcommonlaw*Statutes*Except in Louisianal constitutionl common lawl precedentl statutesl legislaturel unconstitutionall administrative lawCourtdecisionsAdministrativelawTHE SOURCES OF U.S. LAWThe law as it exists in the United States today comes from fivesources. Which of these sources is shared by the federal andthe state governments?14 Unit 1: Knowing About the Law