North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) State Practice Exam

Which of the following is an example of common law?

1. Tax law

2. Decisions made by judges in previous court cases

3. Federal regulations

4. State enacted statutes

The correct answer is: Decisions made by judges in previous court cases

Common law is a system of law developed through judicial decisions rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action. It is based on precedents set by earlier court decisions, meaning that it evolves through the rulings of judges over time. Judicial decisions play a crucial role in common law as they interpret laws and establish legal precedents that guide future case rulings. When judges make decisions in court cases, they do so by relying on the reasoning and rulings from previous cases that have set a standard for how similar circumstances should be treated legally. This reliance on past judgments provides consistency and stability within the legal system. In contrast, tax law, federal regulations, and state-enacted statutes are forms of law that originate from legislative bodies or regulatory agencies. Tax law is created through legislative action to govern taxation, federal regulations are established by federal agencies to implement laws passed by Congress, and state-enacted statutes are laws created through the legislative process at the state level. None of these categories involve the case law development central to common law, which is primarily formed through judicial interpretation and application of law as established in earlier cases.