ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Common law

Imagine you have a bunch of friends and one day you all decide to play a really fun game. Now, there are no rules for the game, and everyone just makes up their own rules as they go along. As you continue to play the game, certain rules become more and more important and everyone starts to follow them without even thinking about it. This is like how Common Law works.

Common Law is basically a set of rules and principles that have been established by judges through their decisions in legal cases. Over time, these decisions and principles become more and more important and are relied on by other judges in similar cases. This is kind of like how your friends would rely on the rules that have been established in your game to help them play better.

Now, the interesting thing about Common Law is that it's different from laws that are made by the government. Government laws are written down and everyone has to follow them. But Common Law is created through the decisions of judges, and it varies from place to place based on the customs and traditions of that area. This means that what is considered to be Common Law in one place might not be the same in another.

The great thing about Common Law is that it's always evolving. Just like how your group's game might change over time as you play it more, Common Law can change and adapt as society changes. For example, a judge might look at an old Common Law decision and decide that it no longer makes sense in today's world, and so they might create a new decision that better reflects the needs of society.

Overall, Common Law is kind of like a set of guidelines that help judges make decisions in legal cases. It's always changing and adapting to better reflect the needs of society, and it's different from laws made by the government.