Law is a body of rules that governs the conduct of citizens in a society. It aims to protect citizens from injustice and ensure that the laws are enforced in a fair manner.
Legal systems vary considerably from country to country, and include many different traditions of law. These vary widely in their structure and approach, but they are usually characterized by clear expression of rights and duties.
In common law legal systems, a judicial decision is explicitly acknowledged as “law” on equal footing with statutes adopted through the legislative process and with regulations issued by the executive branch of government. This is often referred to as the doctrine of stare decisis (Latin for “to stand by a decision”).
Legislative statutes, if enacted into law, are not always immediately binding. In bicameral legislatures (legislatures that are divided into to two bodies as Senate and House in the United States government), bills must be passed through both houses in exactly the same form before they become law.
When a bill passes through the two houses, it is sent to the executive. The executive can either sign the bill or veto it.
The veto is a significant part of parliamentary procedure in nations that use bicameral legislatures. The veto is generally expressed as a written message, sometimes accompanied by a speech, explaining why the executive did not want to sign it.
The rule of law is the principle that all people are entitled to legal protection and are accountable for their actions, whether they be public or private. It consists of a number of principles including supremacy of the law, equality before the law, accountability to the law, fairness in the application of the law, separation of powers, participation in decision-making, and legal certainty.