Civil Law Tradition
Definition
A legal family, rooted in Roman and canon law and later codified across continental Europe, associated historically with inquisitorial procedure.
Related terms
- Adversarial System
- A legal model in which two opposing parties (prosecution and defence, or claimant and defendant) present competing cases to a neutral decision-maker....
- Common Law Tradition
- A legal family, originating in medieval England, built on judge-made precedent and jury trial, associated historically with accusatorial procedure.
- Examining Magistrate
- A judicial officer, called a juge d'instruction in France, who investigates serious or complex cases, gathers evidence and decides whether to send...
- Inquisitorial System
- A model of legal proceedings, common in civil-law countries such as France and Germany, in which the court takes an active role...
- Judge-Led Investigation
- A pre-trial process in which a court officer, rather than the police or prosecution alone, controls what evidence is gathered and how.