SLC22-W1 / Basic Notions of Law

Hey friends, it's finally another week of engagement activity and I'm excited to be taking on activity organized by @anasuleidy with the topic basic notions of law.

During my university school days, though I studied communication and media, as part of our curriculum, we were taught a shallow perspective of law and that's why I find this particular activity interesting as I have a knowledge of the concepts described here.
Read on friends!

Source

Say in your own words and based on what was explained in class: What is law?

To the best of my knowledge, I would define law as a set of rules and regulations that are enforced by a country or organization to govern behavior and protect the rights and safety of its citizens. Laws are even made in the smallest unit of life such as the house, school or workplace but wherever the laws are made it is done for the purpose of establishing order and stability in a state or country and also to protect individual rights and freedoms, to promote justice and fairness ensuring that all who break the law are held accountable and are given appropriate punishment.

-.** Considering the explanations given in class, according to the law and the laws of your country, I pointed out two examples of "Objective Law" and two examples of "Subjective Law".**

Case study:

A citizen is driving a vehicle on the road and disregards the traffic light. Seconds later he is stopped by a traffic police officer and this citizen claims that he disregarded the traffic light because he was in a hurry to pick up his son and take him to the hospital because he is feeling unwell.

Based on what you have learned, tell us in which part of the case Objective Law and Subjective Law are present.

Source

Based on the scenario, Objective Law and Subjective Law are present in the following areas.

Objective Law

Disregarding the traffic light: The citizen's actually disregarded the traffic light by driving through. This is indeed a violation of an objective law because it is fixed and applies to all cases. So whatever his excuse may be, it doesn't change the fact that he had disobeyed the law that had been set.

Traffic police officer's intervention: Also, the traffic police officer's decision to stop the citizen is based on the objective law that prohibits driving through a red traffic light.

Subjective Law

Citizen's reason: The citizen claimed that he disregarded the traffic light because his son was unwell and needed to be taken to the hospital. Now, that's a subjective aspect. This includes the citizen's personal circumstances, his reasons and intentions behind the disobedience of the traffic light.

Citizen's defense: So, the citizen's explanation and reasons given may be considered as some sort of defense to the objective law, which could influence the traffic police officer's decision or the outcome of any subsequent legal actions.

Part II

-. Based on what you have explained in class, make a comparison and according to the law of your country. Give an example of a law and an example of a norm.

I'm from Nigeria and here in Nigeria drivers must have a driving license, so I've presented a well thought out scenario.

Example of a Law: The Nigerian Road Traffic Act, which prohibits driving without a valid driver's license.
This law is a formal and written rule that is enforced by the Nigerian government and it is a fixed law that applies to everyone in Nigeria, and so, violating this law will definitely result in fines, penalties, or even prosecution.

Example of a Norm: In Nigeria, it is believed that when greeting, younger ones should address the older ones with titles such as "Mr./Mrs./Miss" or even “Auntie” and “Uncle” as a sign of respect.

Characteristics: This norm is an informal rule. It has not been written into any law. Though it has been observed by Nigeria, it is not in the constitution nor is it enforced. But still, not following this rule can result in embarrassment in public or even damage the younger person's reputation.

Case study:

Mr. Juan Perez rents an apartment but his financial situation is getting worse and he has not paid for 3 months. On one occasion, a meeting of apartment owners was held and the owner of the apartment where Mr. Juan Perez lives brought the case to the attention of the owners of the other apartments. They took the opportunity to say that they have received complaints from the neighbors of the building because Mr. Juan Perez has 4 dogs as pets in his apartment, something that is prohibited in the building's rules of coexistence.

Analyze and explain in which part of the case Mr. Juan Perez is violating a law and in which part he is violating a norm.

Source

This is where Mr. Juan is violating the law and the norm.

Violation of a Law

Non-payment of rent: Mr. Juan Perez failed to pay his rent for 3 months and that is a violation of the law, because he had consented to the rental agreement contract and had signed with the apartment owner. This contract is a legally binding agreement, and failure to pay can lead to legal consequences.

Violation of a Norm

Mr. Juan Perez decided to keep four dogs as pets in his apartment, despite its being prohibited in the building's rules of coexistence, this decision is a violation of a norm because the building rules was that pets are not to be there, though it is not entrenched in any constitution of Mr perez country, still the building rules of how neighbors should live are a set of norms or guidelines that govern the behavior of residents in the building, and are meant to promote harmony and respect among neighbors and he should have abided by it.

Part III

-. Explain in your own words what importance Comparative Law has for you according to what you have seen in class.

Based on what I've learned so far, comparative Law allows us to explore how other countries and cultures approach similar legal issues. This helps us understand that there's often more than one way to address a problem.

Comparative Law also encourages us to critically think when confronted by situations, we consider whether there are better approaches to certain issues.

Comparative law helps us to understand how other countries have addressed similar issues. This can help us identify best practices and apply it in cases.

Finally, Comparative Law encourages cooperation internationally and it helps us understand how other countries handle legal cases and thus helps in facilitating cooperation between countries of the world.

I really enjoyed this topic and activity. Law is something everyone should know and abide by at all times. The scenarios, especially the ones we were to describe based on our locality, were really practical. It was indeed an eyeopener.