Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Colonial law refers to the set of rules and regulations that governed colonies. This could include laws about how people should behave, how property should be owned and managed, and how disputes should be resolved. In the United States, colonial law specifically refers to the body of laws that were in place in the original 13 colonies before they declared independence from Great Britain.
Definition: Colonial law refers to the legal system that governs a colony or colonies. It can also refer to the body of law that was in effect in the 13 original colonies of the United States before the Declaration of Independence.
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The examples illustrate how colonial law is a legal system that is imposed on a colony by an external power. In the case of the United States, colonial law was eventually replaced by a new legal system based on the principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.