The Law Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
THE BEGINNINGS OF LAW 2100 bce – 500 ce
Observe the words of righteousness
This shall be an everlasting statute unto you
The Mandate of Heaven
The law of the sea
The art of ruling well
This shall be binding by law
Law is master of the rulers
True law is right reason
A person is liable for wrongful damage
The sacred laws of the castes
We cultivate the virtue of justice
Justice, truth, and peace
Walk in the way of righteousness
LAW IN THE MIDDLE AGES 500 –1470
Is God a just judge?
A divine law and a traced-out way
No yard of land was left out
An accusation cannot be repeated
Speak the truth
To none will we deny or delay right or justice
Every law is ordained to the common good
The merchant’s companion
EMPIRE AND ENLIGHTENMENT 1470 –1800
Protection for any ingenious device
A boundary from pole to pole
All governors shall keep every poor person
Peace is glorious and advantageous
Thy grave error and transgression
A turning point in the history of nations
Tyrant, traitor, murderer
All slaves shall be held to be real estate
The rights and liberties of the subject
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live
The author shall have the sole right of printing
A grand society of nations
The most important book in the history of common law
This Constitution shall be the supreme Law of the Land
Men are born and remain free and equal in rights
THE RISE OF THE RULE OF LAW 1800 –1945
Justice under the Constitution
Every Frenchman shall enjoy civil rights
Let the oppressed go free
Purity, activity, vigilance, and discretion
All contracts by way of gaming shall be null and void
Bound to do no injury to fellow-creatures
The damages should be fairly considered
Who can condemn the woman in this book?
To take a life is revenge, not justice
Even war has rules
The rights of every worker
The Nordic nations are branches of a tree
Evil customs of the past shall be broken off
It is justifiable, but not for detestable curiosity
The state will care for the victims of industry
No necessity could justify killing
Where we are is our property
Free and unfettered competition
The laws, rights, and duties of war
A separate legal personality
Factories are literally death traps
The war against monopoly
Illegal evidence is fruit of the poisonous tree
Power is the ballot
He shall not eat who does not work
We want a peace which will be just
A duty of care
Deadly weapons must be regulated
From a democracy to a dictatorship
A NEW INTERNATIONAL ORDER 1945 –1980
New evils require new remedies
Genocide is a violation of the laws of humanity
The architects of the better world
A safer world
All are equal before the law
The right to liberty and security
A court with unparalleled power
The sister nations have grown together
Let us step back from the shadows of war
My children will not be judged by the color of their skin
The right to remain silent
The foundation of freedom, justice, and peace
End the blame game
The safety and welfare of witnesses
The right of a woman to decide
Nothing is more priceless than animal life
LAW IN THE MODERN AGE 1980 – PRESENT
Boundless, priceless, and threatened
It is to justice what the telescope is for the stars
Empower the watchdogs of wrongdoing
Together we have overcome. Together we shall overcome
A world free of chemical weapons
To open trade for the benefit of all
When does life begin?
Every parent should have the right to know
If creativity is a field, copyright is a fence
The landmine does not recognize peace
Patients, not criminals
Marriage should be open to all
Compassion is not a crime
The cause of all humanity
Doping destroys fair play
The battle against climate change
It’s sport against these people
The right to be forgotten
A free and open internet
It’s not about the money. It is about equality
DIRECTORY
GLOSSARY
INDEX
QUOTE ATTRIBUTIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS