subclass_of legislation
The judiciary ( also known as the judicial ___MASK31___ or court ___MASK31___ ) is the ___MASK31___ of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state . The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes . In some nations , under doctrines of separation of powers , the judiciary generally does not make law ( which is the responsibility of the legislature ) or enforce law ( which is the responsibility of the executive ), but rather interprets law and applies it to the facts of each case . In other nations , the judiciary can make law , known as Common Law , by setting precedent for other judges to follow , as opposed to Statutory Law made by the legislature . The Judiciary is often tasked with ensuring equal justice under law . The ___MASK9___ authority ( derived from the Latin ___MASK9___ " auctoritas ") can be used to mean the right to exercise power given by the ___MASK28___ ( in the form of ___MASK86___ , judges , police officers , etc .), or by academic knowledge of an area ( someone that can be an authority on a subject ). A ___MASK41___ is a large and permanent human settlement . Although there is no agreement on how a ___MASK41___ is distinguished from a town in general English ___MASK8___ meanings , many cities have a particular administrative , legal , or historical status based on local law . Statutory ___MASK4___ or ___MASK1___ ___MASK4___ is written ___MASK4___ set down by a body of legislature or by a singular legislator ( in the case of an absolute monarchy ). This is as opposed to oral or customary ___MASK4___ ; or regulatory ___MASK4___ promulgated by the executive or common ___MASK4___ of the judiciary . Statutes may originate with national , state legislatures or local municipalities . The separation of powers , often imprecisely and metonymically used interchangeably with the trias politica ___MASK14___ , is a model for the governance of a state ( or who controls the state ). Under this model , the state is divided into branches , each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with the powers associated with the other branches . The typical division of branches is into a legislature , an executive , and a judiciary . It can be contrasted with the ___MASK60___ of powers in some parliamentary systems where the executive and legislature ( and sometimes parts of the judiciary ) are unified . Legislation ( or `` statutory ___MASK4___ '' ) is ___MASK4___ which has been promulgated ( or `` enacted '' ) by a legislature or other Governing Body or the process of making it . Before an item of legislation becomes ___MASK4___ it may be known as a bill , and may be broadly referred to as `` legislation '' , while it remains under consideration to distinguish it from other business . Legislation can have many purposes : to regulate , to authorize , to proscribe , to provide ( funds ) , to sanction , to grant , to declare or to restrict . It may be contrasted with a non - legislative act which is adopted by an executive or administrative body under the authority of a legislative act or for implementing a legislative act . Under the Westminster ___MASK31___ , an item of primary legislation is known as an Act of Parliament after enactment . Legislation is usually proposed by a member of the legislature ( e . g . a member of Congress or Parliament ) , or by the executive , whereupon it is debated by members of the legislature and is often amended before passage . Most large legislatures enact only a small fraction of the bills proposed in a given session . Whether a given bill will be proposed and is generally a matter of the legislative priorities of ___MASK86___ . Legislation is regarded as one of the three main functions of ___MASK86___ , which are often distinguished under the doctrine of the separation of powers . Those who have the formal power to create legislation are known as legislators ; a judicial branch of ___MASK86___ will have the formal power to interpret legislation ( see statutory interpretation ) ; the executive branch of ___MASK86___ can act only within the powers and limits set by the ___MASK4___ . Regulatory ___MASK4___ refers ___MASK4___ promulgated by an ___MASK7___ agency under a delegation from a legislature . Discussed at Regulation ( ___MASK4___ ). Regulatory ___MASK4___ contrasts to statutory ___MASK4___ promulgated by the legislative branch , and common ___MASK4___ or case ___MASK4___ promulgated by the judicial branch . A deliberative ___MASK93___ is a gathering of members ( of any kind of ___MASK35___ ) who use ___MASK15___ to make decisions . A ___MASK1___ is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state , city or country . Typically , statutes command or prohibit something , or declare policy . Statutes are rules made by legislative bodies ; they are distinguished from case law or precedent , which is decided by courts , and regulations issued by government agencies . ___MASK1___ law is written by a government ' s legislative body and signed into law by its executive . ___MASK4___ is a ___MASK31___ of rules that are created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate ___MASK66___ . State - enforced laws can be made by a collective legislature or by a ___MASK83___ legislator , resulting in statutes , by the executive through decrees and regulations , or established by judges through precedent , normally in common law jurisdictions . Private individuals can create legally binding contracts , including arbitration agreements that may elect to accept alternative arbitration to the normal court process . The formation of laws themselves may be influenced by a constitution , written or tacit , and the rights encoded therein . The law shapes politics , economics , history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people . Common ___MASK4___ ( also known as case ___MASK4___ or precedent ) is ___MASK4___ developed by judges , courts , and similar tribunals , stated in decisions that nominally decide individual cases but that in addition have precedential effect on future cases . Common ___MASK4___ is a third branch of ___MASK4___ , in contrast to and on equal footing with statutes which are adopted through the legislative process , and regulations which are promulgated by the ___MASK7___ . In cases where the parties disagree on what the ___MASK4___ is , a common ___MASK4___ court looks to past precedential decisions of relevant courts . If a similar dispute has been resolved in the past , the court is usually bound to follow the reasoning used in the prior decision ( a ___MASK14___ known as " stare decisis "). If , however , the court finds that the current dispute is fundamentally distinct from all previous cases ( called a " matter of first impression "), judges have the authority and duty to resolve the issue ( one party or the other has to win , and on disagreements of ___MASK4___ , judges make that decision ). Resolution of the issue in one case becomes precedent that binds future courts . " Stare decisis ", the ___MASK14___ that cases should be decided according to consistent principled rules so that similar facts will yield similar results , lies at the heart of all common ___MASK4___ systems . Absolute ___MASK3___ , or despotic ___MASK3___ , is a form of ___MASK3___ in which one ruler has supreme authority that is not restricted by any written laws , legislature , or customs . These are often , but not always , hereditary monarchies . In contrast , in constitutional monarchies , the head of state ' s authority derives from and is legally bounded or restricted by a constitution or legislature . A ___MASK73___ is a deliberative ___MASK93___ with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or ___MASK41___ . Legislatures form important parts of most governments ; in the separation of powers ___MASK43___ , they are often contrasted with the executive and judicial branches of ___MASK86___ . A ___MASK57___ ( or lawmaker ) is a person who writes and passes laws , especially someone who is a ___MASK38___ of a legislature . Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people of the state . Legislatures may be supra - national ( for example , the European Parliament ), national ( for example , the United States Congress ), regional ( for example , the National Assembly for Wales ), or local ( for example , local authorities ).