Читать книгу Глоссарий юридической терминологии (Glossary of legal Terminology) онлайн

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Civil law is an element of private law. The names of civil cases reflect the fact that a private person initiated the coercion. The plaintiff must convince the court that the veracity of his statements is more likely than improbable (the principle of greater probability). Civil liability is not a punishment but serves as compensation. Therefore, for example, debt collection in civil proceedings cannot entail restriction of the debtor's freedom (hence, in a comparative legal context, the Russian practice of prohibiting the departure of civil debtors abroad looks doubtful). The dispute may be settled out of court at the discretion of the parties. In the field of civil legal relations, the law of justice is most often applied.

An essential difference between the American legal system and the English one is the presence of a written Basic Law, which in the country is the Constitution of September 17, 1787, consisting of a preamble, seven articles, and twenty-seven amendments. English case law is not applied unconditionally.