Which description best defines Common Law?

• A. A body of principles which are authoritative because they are ancient and customary
• B. A collection of statutes enacted by legislatures
• C. A system of rules created by administrative agencies
• D. A body of decisions binding only within one jurisdiction

Answer: (A)

Common law is a system of rules that grows from the decisions courts make in individual cases, building principles over time through precedent and long-standing practice. Its authority comes from stare decisis—the idea that prior judicial decisions guide future cases—so doctrines become accepted and binding because they have been repeatedly applied and recognized. This distinguishes it from statutes enacted by legislatures, which are written laws created through formal lawmaking, and from rules created by administrative agencies, which come from regulatory bodies. While the resulting doctrines are specific to the jurisdiction where the decisions arise, the defining feature is that they originate in judge-made decisions and customary practice rather than in formal statutes or agency regulations.