Sources of Law

Question 1

Name the four sources of Law?

Answer 1

• Custom/Common Law
• Europe
• Precedent/Case Law
• Statute Law

Question 2

What is Common Law?

Answer 2

• From the middle age, judges were appointed to administer the “law and custom of the realm”
• Common = Whole realm

Question 3

What is Precedent/Case Law?

Answer 3

-lawyers applied common law to cases, lawyers recorded decisions and became precedent.
- They were binding on lower courts and shaped future laws
- Known as case law

Question 4

What is statute law?

Answer 4

• Common law can be replaced by statutes (acts of parliament)
• Defamation act 2013
• Truth and opinion are statutory that replace and repeal common law defence.

Question 5

What is European law?

Answer 5

• The European convention on Human Rights
• 47 total rights must be protected
• Taken into English law in “human rights act 1998”
• Key articles for journo = 10 freedom of expressions and 8 right to privacy