Law shapes politics, economics, history and society in many ways. It is the basis for many forms of restrictions on people’s behavior, and raises questions of equality and fairness that are of major significance in human life. For example, there is criminal law (the imposing of punishments for certain kinds of behavior) and civil law (the settling of lawsuits between individuals or organizations).
Legal systems vary widely, with some countries having a codified legislative system and others having an uncodified common law system that relies on the historical succession of judges’ decisions to establish legal principles. Some of these systems are secular, such as Jewish halakha and Islamic Sharia, while others are religiously inspired; examples include Christian canon law and the Muslim fiqh.
The judicial process involves a jury and the presentation of evidence. A lawyer for each side of a case presents a brief, which is a document that outlines the arguments in favor of their client. Evidence may consist of circumstantial or direct, either written or oral, and may include a report from a psychologist or social worker.
A judge’s decision may be binding or nonbinding. Nonbinding decisions do not affect subsequent cases, while binding precedent is a previous decision that must be followed unless it is overturned. Another type of judgment is an indictment, which is a formal charge from a grand jury in a criminal trial that is the first step in a court case.