noun
1 official rule/rules ⇨ See also ↑ martial law
ADJECTIVE
▪ administrative , case , civil , common , constitutional , criminal , statute , etc.
▪ abortion , bankruptcy , business , contract , divorce , employment , family , immigration , labour/labor , libel , tax , etc.
▪ federal , international , state
▪ clear
▪
The ~ is clear: bribery is wrong.
▪ unclear , vague
▪ harsh , strict , stringent , tough
▪
Environmental ~s are strict about polluting precious water.
▪ discriminatory , unconstitutional , unjust
▪
We believe this ~ is unconstitutional.
▪ liberal
▪ restrictive
▪
the passage of a restrictive immigration ~ in 1924
▪ Jewish , Talmudic
▪ Islamic , sharia
VERB + LAW
▪ become
▪
A presidential veto prevented the bill from becoming ~.
▪
Parliament voted for the bill to become ~.
▪ apply , enforce , implement , uphold
▪
It's the job of the police to enforce the ~.
▪ follow , obey , observe , respect
▪ break , flout , violate
▪ adopt , create , enact , introduce , pass
▪ overturn , repeal
▪ amend , change , reform , revise
▪
Congress amended the ~ in 1998.
▪ draft , write
▪
the legislators who drafted the ~
▪ interpret
▪
Judges interpret this ~ in different ways.
LAW + VERB
▪ allow sth , authorize sth , permit sth
▪ recognize sth
▪
a ~ recognizing civil unions for same-sex couples
▪ ban sth , forbid sth , prohibit sth
▪
The ~ forbids gambling of any kind.
▪ limit sth , restrict sth
▪
a ~ limiting the hours of work to ten hours per day
▪ criminalize sth
▪
Laws criminalizing same-sex relationships were ruled unconstitutional.
▪ mandate sth ( esp. AmE ), require sth
▪
The wearing of a crash helmet is required by ~.
▪ govern sth , regulate sth
▪
the ~ governing school attendance
▪
the ~s regulating firearms
▪ apply to sb/sth , cover sb/sth
▪
The ~ applies equally to businesses large and small.
LAW + NOUN
▪ court ( BrE ) (also court of law ( BrE , AmE )
▪ case , suit (usually lawsuit )
▪
lawsuits filed by women against employers
▪ enforcement
▪
The building was raided by ~ enforcement agents.
▪ violation ( AmE )
▪ reform
▪
the broader implications of copyright ~ reform
▪ clerk , partner (both AmE )
▪ office , practice (both AmE )
▪
She lost her job at a Boston ~ office.
▪ license ( AmE )
▪ book , journal , review
▪
a room filled with ~ books
▪ library
PREPOSITION
▪ above the ~
▪
No one is above the ~.
▪ against the ~
▪
What you did was clearly against the ~.
▪ beyond the ~
▪
individuals who are acting beyond the ~
▪ by ~
▪
By ~, you are obliged to install smoke alarms in the factory.
▪ outside the ~
▪
rebels who live outside the ~
▪ within the ~
▪
The company is operating entirely within the ~.
▪ ~ against
▪
a local ~ against keeping horses
▪ ~ concerning , ~ on , ~ regarding , ~ relating to
▪
the ~ concerning industrial action ballots
▪
A ~ on hunting will cause a lot of disagreements.
▪
the ~s regarding child actors
▪
the ~ relating to the sale of goods
PHRASES
▪ as the ~ stands ( BrE )
▪
As the ~ stands, you can get married at sixteen.
▪ ~ and order
▪
Martial law was imposed to prevent the breakdown of ~ and order.
▪ the ~ of the land
▪
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became the ~ of the land on July 2, 1964.
▪ the letter of the ~
▪
In spite of the difficulties it would cause her family, the judge stuck to the letter of the ~ and jailed her.
▪ take the ~ into your own hands
▪
When police failed to arrest the suspect, local people took the ~ into their own hands.
2 subject of study/profession
VERB + LAW
▪ practise/practice
LAW + NOUN
▪ firm
▪ school
▪
She's in ~ school. ( AmE )
▪
She's at ~ school. ( BrE )