KnowSoda
SocietyPolitics & Law
Law & Justice: fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
Why We Have Laws
Laws are rules a society agrees to follow, backed by courts and police. They protect people, settle disputes and set out rights and duties.
Key fact
The Code of Hammurabi, about 3,750 years old, is an early written law code.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
In most legal systems, a person accused of a crime is presumed innocent. The prosecution must prove guilt, often “beyond reasonable doubt”.
Key fact
The accused doesn’t have to prove their innocence.
Courts & Juries
Judges run trials and interpret the law. In some countries, a jury of ordinary citizens decides whether the accused is guilty.
Key fact
A typical criminal jury in England has 12 members.
Civil vs Criminal
Criminal law deals with crimes against society, like theft, prosecuted by the state. Civil law settles disputes between people, like broken contracts or damages.
Key fact
In civil cases, the loser usually pays compensation instead of going to jail.
Legal Traditions
Common law, used in the UK and US, leans heavily on past court decisions. Civil law systems, used in much of Europe and Latin America, rely on written codes.
Key fact
France’s Napoleonic Code of 1804 shaped civil law worldwide.
Top Courts
Supreme or constitutional courts have the final say on how laws and constitutions are read, and some can strike down laws that break the constitution.
Key fact
The US Supreme Court has nine justices.
Your Rights in Court
Many legal systems guarantee a fair trial: a lawyer, time to prepare a defence, and the right not to incriminate yourself.
Key fact
In the US, refusing to incriminate yourself is called “pleading the Fifth”.
Fun facts
Hammurabi’s laws were carved on a stone pillar over 2 m tall, now in the Louvre in Paris.
In the 1760s, jurist William Blackstone wrote that it’s better for ten guilty people to escape than for one innocent to suffer.
Spain brought back juries in 1995: nine citizens decide some cases, such as murder trials.
One act can lead to both kinds of case: O. J. Simpson was cleared in a criminal trial but found liable in a civil one.
Louisiana’s law still carries traces of French and Spanish civil law, unlike the rest of the US.
The UK only got a Supreme Court in 2009. Before that, a committee of the House of Lords was its top court.
Lady Justice is often shown blindfolded, a symbol of treating everyone equally.
Story: The Jury That Wouldn’t Budge
The Jury That Wouldn’t Budge
1670, London. Quaker William Penn is tried for preaching in the street. The jury refuses to find him guilty.
The furious judge locks the jurors up for two nights without food, water or heat. They still won’t budge, so he fines and jails them.
Juror Edward Bushel appealed, and won: judges can’t punish juries for their verdicts. Penn went on to found Pennsylvania.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
-
Question 1 of 10
The Code of Hammurabi is an ancient law code.
Show the answer
True. From ancient Babylon.
-
Question 2 of 10
In many legal systems, the accused is presumed innocent.
Show the answer
True. Until proven guilty.
-
Question 3 of 10
Juries are made up of ordinary citizens.
Show the answer
True. Chosen at random.
-
Question 4 of 10
Theft is a matter of criminal law.
Show the answer
True. The state prosecutes it.
-
Question 5 of 10
Common law relies heavily on earlier court decisions.
Show the answer
True. That’s called precedent.
-
Question 6 of 10
US Supreme Court justices are appointed for life.
Show the answer
True. They serve until they retire or die.
-
Question 7 of 10
Many systems guarantee the right to a lawyer.
Show the answer
True. Part of a fair trial.
-
Question 8 of 10
Laws only exist in modern times.
Show the answer
False. Written laws go back thousands of years.
-
Question 9 of 10
“Beyond reasonable doubt” is a low standard of proof.
Show the answer
False. It’s the strictest standard there is.
-
Question 10 of 10
Every country uses juries for all trials.
Show the answer
False. Many countries rely on judges alone.
Keep going in the app
KnowSoda learns what you know and brings back what you’re about to forget. Law & Justice has 6 more ideas at the Advanced and Expert levels.
Sources
- The British Museum / Louvre — The Code of Hammurabi
- UK Courts and Tribunals Judiciary — Jury service and the justice system
- Supreme Court of the United States — About the Court
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — common law, civil law, Napoleonic Code
- UN — Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Articles 10–11
- Innocence Project — DNA exonerations
- International Criminal Court — About the court
- UK Supreme Court — Donoghue v Stevenson
