Common law: References & Edit History
More Articles On This Topic
- crimeCommon law
- Comparative lawRole of judges
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- Legislation
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- International lawInternational law and municipal law
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- CourtJudicial lawmaking
- CourtProfessional judges in the common-law tradition
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Additional Reading
On the history of common law, the best guides are John H. Langbein, Renée Lettow Lerner, and Bruce P. Smith, History of the Common Law: The Development of Anglo-American Legal Institutions (2009); and J.H. Baker, An Introduction to English Legal History, 4th ed. (2002, reissued 2007). S.F.C. Milsom, Historical Foundations of the Common Law, 2nd ed. (1981), is a difficult but classic text.
For the United States, E. Allan Farnsworth, An Introduction to the Legal System of the United States, 4th ed. (2010), is a broad study of the American legal system. Additional overviews include Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law: An Introduction, 3rd ed. (2017); and William Burnham, Introduction to the Law and Legal System of the United States, 6th ed. (2016). A good historical treatment is Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 3rd ed. (2005), supplemented by the same author’s American Law in the 20th Century (2002).
Article Contributors
Primary Contributors
- Mary Ann Glendon
- Andrew D.E. Lewis
- Albert Roland Kiralfy
-
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
Other Contributors
- JOHN PINTO
- Christopher Rees
Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors
Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article title updated for style. | Oct 31, 2026 | ||
| Modified link of Web site: The University of Chicago Law Review - The Concept of the Common Law. | Oct 10, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: The University of Chicago Law Review - The Concept of the Common Law. | Jan 01, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository - Law "In" and "As" History: The Common Law in the American Polity, 1790-1900 (PDF). | Nov 21, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: Texas A and M Law Scholarship - The Efficiency of the Common Law: The Puzzle of Mixed Legal Families (PDF). | Sep 13, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: UNSW Law Journal - Theories and Principles underlying the Development of the Common Law The Statutory Elephant in the Room (PDF). | May 23, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: Thomson Reuters - Common law: Defining what it is and what you need to know. | Mar 28, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: EngagedScholarship at Cleveland State University - Anglo-American Legal History (PDF). | Jan 14, 2025 | ||
| Added cross-reference to the Civil Rights Act of 1866. | Nov 26, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Boston University - Common-Law Constitutionalism, The Constitutional Common Law, and the Validity of the Individual Mandate. | Oct 25, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Indiana University Bloomington - Maurer School of Law Digital Repository - The Common Law of Legislation. | May 19, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: University at Buffalo - School of Law - Brief Introduction to the Anglo-American Legal System. | Dec 28, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Online Library of Liberty - Magna Carta and the Common Law. | Jul 04, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: University of Wisconsin?Madison - Legal Studies Program - British History, 2: The Origins of Common Law. | May 25, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Berkeley Law - The Common Law and Civil Law Traditions. | Feb 15, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Investopedia - Common Law. | Aug 31, 2022 | ||
| Noted Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. | Oct 30, 2020 | ||
| Add new Web site: Duhaime.org - Common Law. | Jul 26, 2018 | ||
| Bibliography revised. | Oct 26, 2017 | ||
| Article revised. | Oct 26, 2017 | ||
| Article revised to mention that the Supreme Court replaced the House of Lords as the court of final resort in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland by the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005. |
|
Aug 05, 2016 | |
| Changed "Lawrence M. Friedman" to "William Burnham" as the author of Introduction to the Law and Legal System of the United States (2006). |
|
Mar 15, 2010 | |
| Bibliography revised and updated. |
|
Feb 19, 2010 | |
| Clarified that the European Union succeeded the European Economic Community. | Jan 08, 2010 | ||
| Bibliography revised and updated. | Jan 22, 2009 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Jan 22, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: The Catholic Encyclopedia - Common Law. | May 26, 2008 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | Jul 23, 1998 |
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