Country | Common Law Status↓ | Legal System | Additional Common Law Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | India | Yes | Common | Common law system based on the English model; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus; judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | United States | Yes | Common | Common law system at the federal level; state legal systems based on common law, except Louisiana, where state law is based on Napoleonic civil code; judicial review applies. |
![]() | Tanzania | Yes | Common | English common law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation. |
![]() | United Kingdom | Yes | Common | Common law system; has non-binding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998. |
![]() | Canada | Yes | Common | Common law system except in Quebec, where civil law based on the French civil code prevails. |
![]() | Australia | Yes | Common | Common law system based on the English model. |
![]() | Singapore | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Liberia | Yes | Mixed | Mixed legal system of common law (Anglo-American) and customary law. |
![]() | Ireland | Yes | Common | Common law system based on the English model but substantially modified by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts by the Supreme Court. |
![]() | New Zealand | Yes | Common | Common law system based on the English model, with special legislation and land courts for the Maori. |
![]() | Jamaica | Yes | Common | Common law system based on the English model. |
![]() | Trinidad and Tobago | Yes | Common | English common law; judicial review in the Supreme Court. |
![]() | Fiji | Yes | Common | Common law system based on the English model. |
![]() | Guyana | Yes | Common | Common law system based on the English model, with some Roman-Dutch civil law influence. |
![]() | Belize | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Bahamas | Yes | Common | Common law system based on the English model. |
![]() | Barbados | Yes | Common | English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Saint Lucia | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Guam | Yes | Common | Common law modeled on US system; US federal laws apply. |
![]() | Kiribati | Yes | Common | English common law supplemented by customary law. |
![]() | Grenada | Yes | Common | Common law based on English model. |
![]() | Tonga | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Antigua and Barbuda | Yes | Common | Common law based on the English model. |
![]() | United States Virgin Islands | Yes | Common | US common law. |
![]() | Isle of Man | Yes | Common | The laws of the UK apply where applicable and include Manx statutes. |
![]() | Cayman Islands | Yes | Common | English common law and local statutes. |
![]() | Dominica | Yes | Common | Common law based on the English model. |
![]() | Bermuda | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Gibraltar | Yes | Common | The laws of the UK, where applicable, apply. |
![]() | British Virgin Islands | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Anguilla | Yes | Common | Common law based on the English model. |
![]() | Cook Islands | Yes | Common | Common law similar to New Zealand common law. |
![]() | Montserrat | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Falkland Islands | Yes | Common | English common law and local statutes. |
![]() | Tokelau | Yes | Common | Common law system of New Zealand. |
![]() | Niue | Yes | Common | English common law. |
![]() | Pakistan | Partial | Mixed | Common law system with Islamic law influence. |
![]() | Nigeria | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law (12 northern states), and traditional law. |
![]() | Bangladesh | Partial | Mixed | Common law; statutory law enacted by the Parliament of Bangladesh is the primary legislation form. Bangladeshi law incorporates elements of English common law. Islamic law applies to Muslims in family and inheritance matters, with Hindu personal law applying to Hindus and Buddhists. |
![]() | Egypt | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws; judicial review of the constitutionality of laws by the Supreme Constitutional Court. |
![]() | Philippines | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil, common, Islamic (sharia), and customary law. |
![]() | Thailand | Partial | Mixed | Civil law system with common law influences. |
![]() | South Africa | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law. |
![]() | Kenya | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review in the new Supreme Court established by the new constitution. |
![]() | Myanmar | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law (as introduced in codifications designed for colonial India) and customary law. |
![]() | South Korea | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system combining European civil law, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought. |
![]() | Sudan | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Islamic law and English common law; amended penal code in mid-July 2020. |
![]() | Uganda | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law. |
![]() | Iraq | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law. |
![]() | Yemen | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Islamic (sharia) law, Napoleonic law, English common law, and customary law. |
![]() | Morocco | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law (French) and Islamic (sharia) law; judicial review by the Constitutional Court. |
![]() | Malaysia | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law (sharia), and customary law; judicial review in the Federal Court. |
![]() | Mozambique | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Portuguese civil law and customary law. |
![]() | Ghana | Partial | Mixed | Mixed system of English common law and customary law. |
![]() | Madagascar | Partial | Mixed | Civil law system based on the old French civil code; customary law in marriage, family, and obligations. |
![]() | Cameroon | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law. |
![]() | Nepal | Partial | Mixed | English common law and Hindu legal concepts; new criminal and civil codes effective 17 August 2018. |
![]() | Niger | Partial | Mixed | Following the 26 July 2023 military coup, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland assumed control and rules by decree; formerly a mixed legal system of French civil law, Islamic law, and customary law. |
![]() | Syria | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil and Islamic (sharia) law (for family courts). |
![]() | Mali | Partial | Mixed | Civil law system based on the French civil law model; influenced by customary law; judicial review in the Constitutional Court. |
![]() | Sri Lanka | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, Jaffna Tamil customary law, and Muslim personal law. |
![]() | Malawi | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal. |
![]() | Zambia | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law. |
![]() | Chad | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil and customary law. |
![]() | Somalia | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law, Islamic (sharia) law, and customary law (referred to as Xeer). |
![]() | Zimbabwe | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, Roman-Dutch civil law, and customary law |
![]() | Rwanda | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law (German and Belgian models) and customary law; judicial review in the Supreme Court. |
![]() | Burundi | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Belgian civil law and customary law. |
![]() | Tunisia | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law (French model) and Islamic (sharia) law; limited judicial review in the Supreme Court in joint session. |
![]() | Jordan | Partial | Mixed | Mixed system developed from codes instituted by the Ottoman Empire (based on French law), British common law, and Islamic law |
![]() | United Arab Emirates | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Islamic (sharia) law and civil law. |
![]() | Papua New Guinea | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law. |
![]() | Israel | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws. |
![]() | Sierra Leone | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law. |
![]() | Hong Kong | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure); PRC imposition of National Security Law incorporates elements of Chinese civil law. |
![]() | Republic of the Congo | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law. |
![]() | Lebanon | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status for Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities. |
![]() | Norway | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law; Supreme Court can advise on legislative acts. |
![]() | Oman | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Anglo-Saxon law and Islamic law. |
![]() | Mauritania | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Islamic and French civil law. |
![]() | Kuwait | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system consisting of English common law, French civil law, and Islamic sharia law. |
![]() | Eritrea | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic religious law. |
![]() | Qatar | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law and Islamic (sharia) law (in family and personal matters). |
![]() | Namibia | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of uncodified civil law (Roman-Dutch) and customary law. |
![]() | Gambia | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law. |
![]() | Gabon | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law. |
![]() | Botswana | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law influenced by the Roman-Dutch model and also customary and common law. |
![]() | Lesotho | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal. |
![]() | Guinea-Bissau | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law incorporating Portuguese law, influenced by ECOWAS, UEMOA, African Francophone Public Law, and customary law. |
![]() | Equatorial Guinea | Partial | Mixed | Mixed system of civil and customary law. |
![]() | Bahrain | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Islamic (sharia) law, English common law, Egyptian civil, criminal, and commercial codes, and customary law. |
![]() | Cyprus | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and civil law with European law supremacy. |
![]() | Mauritius | Partial | Mixed | Civil legal system based on French civil law with elements of English common law. |
![]() | Eswatini | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law. |
![]() | Djibouti | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system based primarily on the French civil code (as it existed in 1997), Islamic religious law (in matters of family law and successions), and customary law. |
![]() | Comoros | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of Islamic religious law, the French civil code of 1975, and customary law. |
![]() | Solomon Islands | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law. |
![]() | Malta | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and civil law (Roman and Napoleonic civil codes); subject to EU law. |
![]() | Maldives | Partial | Mixed | Islamic (sharia) legal system with English common law influences, primarily in commercial matters. |
![]() | Brunei | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system based on English common law and Islamic law; in April 2019, the full sharia penal codes came into force, applying to Muslims and partly to non-Muslims in parallel with present common law codes. |
![]() | Vanuatu | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, French law, and customary law. |
![]() | Sao Tome and Principe | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil law (Portuguese model) and customary law. |
![]() | Samoa | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen. |
![]() | Seychelles | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law. |
![]() | Micronesia | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of common law and customary law. |
![]() | Jersey | Partial | Mixed | The laws of the UK apply where applicable; includes local statutes. |
![]() | Guernsey | Partial | Mixed | Customary legal system based on Norman customary law; includes elements of the French civil code and English common law. |
![]() | Turks and Caicos Islands | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and civil law. |
![]() | American Samoa | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of US common law and customary law. |
![]() | Sint Maarten | Partial | Mixed | Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence. |
![]() | Marshall Islands | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of US and English common law, customary law, and local statutes. |
![]() | Palau | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law. |
![]() | Nauru | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of common law (English) and customary law. |
![]() | Tuvalu | Partial | Mixed | Mixed legal system of English common law and local customary law |
![]() | China | No | Civil | Civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; in May 2020, the National People's Congress adopted the PRC Civil Code. |
![]() | Indonesia | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Roman-Dutch model and influenced by customary law. |
![]() | Brazil | No | Civil | Civil law; a new civil law code was enacted in 2002, replacing the 1916 code. |
![]() | Russia | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Ethiopia | No | Civil | Civil law system |
![]() | Mexico | No | Civil | Civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Japan | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the German model; reflects Anglo-American influence and Japanese traditions; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court. |
![]() | DR Congo | No | Civil | Civil law system primarily based on Belgian law, but also customary and tribal law. |
![]() | Vietnam | No | Civil | Civil law system; the civil code of 2005 reflects a European-style civil law. |
![]() | Iran | No | Religious | Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic law. |
![]() | Turkey | No | Civil | Civil law system based on various European legal systems, notably the Swiss civil code. |
![]() | Germany | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | France | No | Civil | Civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts. |
![]() | Italy | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislation under certain conditions in the Constitutional Court. |
![]() | Colombia | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by the Spanish and French civil codes. |
![]() | Spain | No | Civil | Civil law system with regional variations. |
![]() | Algeria | No | Mixed | Mixed legal system of French civil law and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices. |
![]() | Argentina | No | Civil | Civil law system based on West European legal systems; in mid-2015, Argentina adopted a new civil code, replacing the old one in force since 1871. |
![]() | Afghanistan | No | Religious | The Taliban is implementing its own interpretation of Islamic law, partially based on the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence, enforcing strict punishments. Before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had a mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law. |
![]() | Angola | No | Civil | Civil legal system based on Portuguese civil law; no judicial review of legislation. |
![]() | Ukraine | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Poland | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislative, administrative, and other governmental acts; constitutional law rulings are final. |
![]() | Uzbekistan | No | Civil | Civil law system; criminal code reforms were part of a constitutional referendum passed in April 2023. |
![]() | Peru | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Saudi Arabia | No | Islamic | Islamic (sharia) legal system with some elements of Egyptian, French, and customary law; commercial disputes handled by special committees. |
![]() | Ivory Coast | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the French civil code; judicial review of legislation held in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court. |
![]() | Venezuela | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Spanish civil code. |
![]() | North Korea | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Prussian model; system influenced by Japanese traditions and Communist legal theory. |
![]() | Burkina Faso | No | Mixed | Civil law based on the French model and customary law; in mid-2019, the National Assembly amended the penal code. |
![]() | Taiwan | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Kazakhstan | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and by the theory and practice of the Russian Federation. |
![]() | Chile | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by several West European civil legal systems; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Tribunal. |
![]() | Senegal | No | Civil | Civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Constitutional Council. |
![]() | Romania | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Guatemala | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Netherlands | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the French system; constitution prohibits judicial review of acts of the States General. |
![]() | Ecuador | No | Civil | Civil law based on the Chilean civil code with modifications; traditional law in indigenous communities. |
![]() | Cambodia | No | Mixed | Civil law system influenced by the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia, customary law, Communist legal theory, and common law. |
![]() | Guinea | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the French model. |
![]() | Benin | No | Civil | Civil law system modeled largely on the French system and some customary law. |
![]() | Bolivia | No | Civil | Civil law system with influences from Roman, Spanish, canon (religious), French, and indigenous law. |
![]() | Haiti | No | Civil | Civil law system strongly influenced by Napoleonic Code. |
![]() | Belgium | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the French Civil Code; Belgian law continues to be modified in conformance with the legislative norms mandated by the European Union; judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Dominican Republic | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system. |
![]() | Honduras | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Cuba | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Spanish civil code. |
![]() | Tajikistan | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Sweden | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and customary law. |
![]() | Czech Republic | No | Civil | New civil code enacted in 2014, replacing the 1964 civil code, based on former Austro-Hungarian civil codes and socialist theory, reintroducing former Czech legal terminology. |
![]() | Portugal | No | Civil | Civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Azerbaijan | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Greece | No | Civil | Civil legal system based on Roman law. |
![]() | Togo | No | Customary | Customary law system. |
![]() | Hungary | No | Civil | Civil legal system influenced by the German model. |
![]() | Austria | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court. |
![]() | Belarus | No | Civil | Civil law system; nearly all major codes (civil, civil procedure, criminal, criminal procedure, family, and labor) were revised and came into force in 1999 and 2000. |
![]() | Switzerland | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts, except for federal decrees of general obligatory character. |
![]() | Laos | No | Civil | Civil law system similar in form to the French system. |
![]() | Turkmenistan | No | Civil | Civil law system with Islamic (sharia) law influences. |
![]() | Libya | No | Mixed | Legal system in flux, driven by state and non-state entities post-revolution. |
![]() | Kyrgyzstan | No | Civil | Civil law system, which includes features of French civil law and Russian Federation laws. |
![]() | Paraguay | No | Civil | Civil law system with influences from Argentine, Spanish, Roman, and French models; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice. |
![]() | Nicaragua | No | Civil | Civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts. |
![]() | Bulgaria | No | Civil | Civil law. |
![]() | Serbia | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | El Salvador | No | Civil | Civil law system with minor common law influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court. |
![]() | Denmark | No | Civil | Civil law; judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Finland | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Swedish model. |
![]() | Central African Republic | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the French model. |
![]() | Slovakia | No | Civil | Civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; legal code modified to comply with OSCE obligations. |
![]() | Costa Rica | No | Civil | Civil law system based on Spanish civil code; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court. |
![]() | Panama | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice. |
![]() | Croatia | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by the legal heritage of Austria-Hungary; Croatian law was fully harmonized with the European Community acquis as of June 2010. |
![]() | Georgia | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Mongolia | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by Soviet and Romano-Germanic legal systems; constitution ambiguous on judicial review. |
![]() | Uruguay | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Spanish civil code. |
![]() | Puerto Rico | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Spanish civil code within the framework of the US federal system. |
![]() | Bosnia and Herzegovina | No | Civil | Civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Moldova | No | Civil | Civil law system with Germanic law influences; legislative acts reviewed by the Constitutional Court. |
![]() | Armenia | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Lithuania | No | Civil | Civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the Constitutional Court. |
![]() | Albania | No | Civil | Civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" is still present. |
![]() | Slovenia | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Latvia | No | Civil | Civil law system with traces of socialist legal traditions and practices. |
![]() | North Macedonia | No | Civil | Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts. |
![]() | Timor-Leste | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Portuguese model; replaced Indonesian codes with new penal and civil codes in 2009 and 2011. |
![]() | Estonia | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Bhutan | No | Civil | Civil law based on Buddhist religious law. |
![]() | Macau | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Portuguese model. |
![]() | Luxembourg | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Suriname | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law; new criminal code enacted in 2017. |
![]() | Montenegro | No | Civil | Civil law system. |
![]() | Cape Verde | No | Civil | Civil law system of Portugal. |
![]() | Iceland | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by the Danish model. |
![]() | New Caledonia | No | Civil | Civil law system based on French civil law. |
![]() | French Polynesia | No | Civil | The laws of France, where applicable, apply. |
![]() | Curacao | No | Civil | Based on Dutch civil law. |
![]() | Aruba | No | Civil | Civil law system based on the Dutch civil code. |
![]() | Andorra | No | Mixed | Mixed legal system of civil and customary law with the influence of canon (religious) law. |
![]() | Faroe Islands | No | Civil | The laws of Denmark apply where applicable. |
![]() | Greenland | No | Mixed | The laws of Denmark apply where applicable, and Greenlandic law applies to other areas. |
![]() | Northern Mariana Islands | No | Mixed | The laws of the US apply, except for customs and some taxation aspects. |
![]() | Liechtenstein | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by Swiss, Austrian, and German law. |
![]() | Monaco | No | Civil | Civil law system influenced by French legal tradition. |
![]() | San Marino | No | Civil | Civil law system with Italian civil law influences. |
![]() | Saint Martin | No | Civil | French civil law. |
![]() | Saint Barthelemy | No | Civil | French civil law. |
![]() | Wallis and Futuna | No | Civil | French civil law. |
![]() | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | No | Civil | French civil law. |
![]() | Vatican City | No | Religious | Religious legal system based on canon (religious) law. |
Common law, also known as case law, is a legal system in which the main body of law is formed by court opinions, which play a defining role in determining how laws are interpreted and applied. In a common law system, previous court decisions are usually respected as precedent and applied to current decisions. Common law is often contrasted with civil law, in which the legal codes and statutes are more meticulous and less open to interpretation and previous court decisions do not necessarily influence the outcome of current cases.
Various systems of law often overlap one another. For example, both common law and civil law rely upon legislators to create the laws and the courts to settle disputes about them. As such, even legal scholars may sometimes disagree as to how a given country’s system of law should be categorized. That said, common law is one of the most prevalent legal systems in the world by any measure. Approximately 40 countries and territories use common law, and roughly 60 more use it as part of a mixed legal system in which common law is blended with another form of law—typically civil, religious, or customary law. Common law originated in England in the years following the Norman Conquest of 1066 and spread around the world as England built its empire. Today, common law is used almost exclusively by countries that were once British colonies.
The only form of law more prevalent than common law is civil law, a system in which the body of law is primarily derived from legal statutes and codes created by legislatures. In civil law, judicial authorities use the civil code to evaluate cases and reach decisions. Civil systems also clearly define the cases that can be brought to court, the procedures for handling claims, and the punishments for an offense. Civil law, which originated in France, is similar to common law in many ways. Both share the goal of establishing consistent outcomes by applying the same standards of interpretation to each case. However, civil law focuses more on the written codes and statutes and has a reduced emphasis upon established legal precedent.
Additional forms of law include customary laws, in which patterns of behavior or cultural customs have been accepted as legal requirements or rules of conduct, as well as religious legal systems, in which religious texts or traditions define that country’s laws. Religious legal systems are commonly seen in Islamic countries. Many countries have mixed legal systems that combine multiple legal systems into a single hybrid system. Finally, both the United States and Canada follow common law on a national level, but have a single region (Louisiana and Quebec, respectively) that uses a civil law system.