Chapter 4
“All Rise”: The American Judicial System
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding the significance of legal precedence
Reviewing the three branches of the U.S. system of government
Identifying the various forms and levels of government and their courts
Grasping the important differences between trial by judge and trial by jury
The study and practice of paralegalism is exciting because the law reflects society’s changing modes of conduct. So, the law has to be flexible and evolve with society. Despite its flexibility, however, the law has specific theoretical and historical origins, and before studying paralegalism, it’s good to know the theoretical and historical context from which the U.S. legal system has evolved.
Law has two main interpretations: One is based on the concept of natural (or God-made) law, and the other is a secular (or nonreligious) interpretation. The more ancient of the two interpretations is Aristotle’s cosmic law theory. Aristotle believed that there was a law ...
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