There is no such thing as "the law" in that law comes from many different sources.

At both the federal and state levels, the law of the United States can be traced back to the common law system of English law, which was in force in the American colonies during the time of the Revolutionary War. Since then, U.S. law has diverged greatly from its English roots both in terms of substance and procedure. The main departure occurred when the United States ratified the Constitution in 1789. In effect, the Constitution and federal statutes and laws made in furtherance of the Constitution were established as “the supreme Law of the Land.” From that point on, the law of the land was no longer based on legal practices in England but became distinctly American and home grown. When the individual states ratified their state constitutions, the state legislatures obtained the power to establish state law, or the “Law of the State.” Together, this collection of federal and state laws constitutes something we often refer to as the “body of law.” This body of law governs the behavior of individuals, businesses, and even governments. Just like the human body, the “body of law” is comprised of multiple parts, each performing an individual function while simultaneously working together as a whole. In this section, we will examine two of the most fundamental types of laws, followed by nearly every nation in the world: statutory law and common law.

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