Law is a set of rules created by the state that form a framework to ensure a peaceful society. If these rules are broken, sanctions can be imposed.

Many different people have a wide range of views about the definition and importance of law. Many books and debates have been written about this topic.

At a very basic level, some people say that law is nothing more than power backed by threats. This would explain why tyrannical rulers, for example, have been able to enforce bad laws and still call them “law.” But this view of law ignores the fact that people also have power over their government. For example, people can vote for or against their elected representatives and judges. This means that if a judge makes a law they disagree with, then the judge can be voted out of office and a new judge may take his place. This is why some people think that the definition of law should include morality as well as powers.

The study of law, which is a vast and specialised field, involves the study of the systems of rules that a country or community recognizes as regulating their actions and determining their rights and punishments. Oxford Reference offers a comprehensive collection of concise, reliable definitions and detailed, specialist encyclopedic entries on all aspects of law, from constitutional law to criminal law and family law, as well as major debates in legal theory.