What is a law?

• A. A rule decided by local communities
• B. A bill that has been passed by the legislature and signed by the Executive (president)
• C. A decision made by the Supreme Court
• D. An unwritten tradition

Answer: (A)

A law is a rule created by the government that people must follow. In the United States, laws usually start as a bill in the legislature. The bill is debated and voted on, and when the legislature approves it and the Executive signs it, that bill becomes a law that governs how people and institutions behave. This formal process distinguishes laws from court decisions, which interpret and apply existing laws to specific cases, and from unwritten traditions, which are not enforceable by law. Local communities can pass ordinances that apply in their area, but the essential idea is that a law comes into being through the government’s formal legislative process.