| The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002. |
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| common law |
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| Law developed in the course of time from the rulings of judges, as opposed to law embodied in statutes passed by legislatures (statutory law) or law embodied in a written constitution (constitutional law). (See stare decisis.) | 1 |
| ‡ The importance of common law is particularly stressed in the legal system of Britain, on which the legal system of the United States is based. | 2 |
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| | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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