Law is the body that governs social order in our society. Without law our society would be able to do whatever it wanted without recourse. Our body of law comes from England, which is the common law. Common law is Judge-made law. Law which exists and applies to a group on the basis of historical legal precedents developed over hundreds of years. Because it is not written by elected politicians but, rather, by judges, it is also referred to as unwritten law. Judges seek these principles out when trying a case and apply the precedents to the facts to come up with a judgment. .
The law has consequences in order to maintain social order. The consequences vary from each different area of law that you are dealing with. For instance, in criminal law jail time is the most common consequence for breaking the law. In another area such as civil actions the remedies are usually monetary. Without consequences law would be pointless. Consequences for breaking the law are set up so that citizens helping to maintain order in society are not brought down by those who fail to follow the law. The law, although it has consequences, provides rights to protect citizens from governmental abuses of power in an effort to be fair. These rights are found in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. They include the guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure, the right to reasonable bail, the right to due process of law and the right to be free from cruel and unusual treatment. This bundle of rights is indispensable to a free and orderly society.
The law provides us with a judicial branch of government which regulates the process of law and provides forums in order for citizens to settle disputes. It is the job of the judicial branch to interpret the laws. One of the most important jobs that the judicial branch has is to protect individual rights granted by the state constitutions. There are forums in which the law is argued.
