The American legal system is based primarily on which tradition?

• A. Civil law
• B. Religious law
• C. Mixed system
• D. Common law

Answer: (D)

Common law. The American system relies heavily on judge-made law and precedents set in court decisions. When judges resolve disputes, they interpret statutes and the Constitution, and their rulings become binding for future cases through the principle of stare decisis. This creates a continuous body of law built from case outcomes over time. Civil law, by contrast, depends on comprehensive codes created by the legislature; religious law derives from religious texts; and a mixed system blends elements in ways that don’t describe the United States as a whole. An exception is Louisiana, which has civil-law influences in private law, but the broader U.S. framework remains rooted in common law.