Civil law (legal system)

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/civil-law-legal-system

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the dominant legal tradition?A legal system based on comprehensive, systematic, and codified statutes
2. What is the historical genesis?Evolved from Roman law, particularly the Justinian Code
3. What is civil law?Civil law is a set of written rules that help grown‑ups solve problems fairly. It is organized into big books called codes, and people use these codes to decide what is right and wrong.
4. Where did civil law come from?Civil law started with the Romans, who wrote a big book of laws called the Corpus Juris Civilis. Later, scholars in medieval universities studied and updated these laws, making them fit the times.

Corpus Juris Civilis: The foundational compilation of Roman law that heavily influenced civil law systems.
Codification: The process of systematically collecting and organizing laws into written codes.
Stare Decisis: The legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent (more central to common law).
Legal Harmonization: The process of making laws in different jurisdictions more similar or consistent.