ABSTRACT

At the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century, law increasinglypermeates all forms of social behavior. Its significance and pervasiveness resonate on all walks of life. In subtle and, at times, not so subtle ways, a complex and voluminous set of laws governs our entire existence and our every action. It determines registration at birth and the distribution of possessions at death. Laws regulate dating and mating behaviors, prenuptial agreements, marriage, divorce, pet ownership, hanging laundry outdoors to dry, and the conduct of professors in the classroom and at faculty parties. Laws demarcate the relationships between employers and employees, parents and children, and husbands and wives as opposed to girlfriends and boyfriends. Laws set the speed limit and the length of school attendance. Laws control what we eat and where; what we buy and when; how we use our computers; and what we can see in movie theaters or on television. Laws dictate what we wear and where. Laws protect ownership and define the boundaries of private and public property. Laws regulate business, raise revenue, provide for redress when agreements are broken, and uphold social institutions, such as the family. Laws protect the prevailing legal and political systems by defining power relationships, thus establishing who is superordinate and who is subordinate in any given situation. Laws maintain the status quo and provide the impetus for change. Finally, laws, in particular criminal laws, not only protect private and public interests but also preserve order. There is no end to the ways in which the law has a momentous effect upon our lives.