Law vs. Legislation — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 13, 2023
Law is a system of rules established by a governing body, while legislation refers to the process of making or enacting laws.
Difference Between Law and Legislation
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Law encompasses a wide range of rules that a society adheres to, created to govern behavior and maintain order. Legislation is a specific set of rules or statutes that have been formally enacted by a legislative body, such as Congress.
Laws can derive from various sources, including common law, case law, or customs. These rules, built over time, form the legal bedrock of a society. Legislation, conversely, represents proactive efforts by legislative bodies to introduce, modify, or repeal existing laws.
While all legislation eventually becomes law if enacted, not all laws are a result of legislation. For instance, laws based on longstanding traditions or judicial rulings aren't products of legislation.
Laws are essential for the functioning of any civilized society, offering a framework within which rights, duties, and obligations are defined. Legislation, as a process, ensures that these laws are relevant, updated, and reflective of the society's evolving needs.
For any law to be binding, it must have the backing of a legal system, be it through a constitution, court decisions, or societal norms. Legislation, being a formal approach to law-making, undergoes scrutiny, discussions, and amendments before becoming law.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A system of rules recognized by a country or community
The act or process of making or enacting laws
Origin
Can derive from custom, case law, or legislation
Specifically from a legislative body
Scope
Broader encompassing various types of rules
Narrower, referring to formal law-making
Binding Nature
Has legal backing and is enforceable
Becomes binding once enacted
Examples
Common law, statutory law, case law
Bills, acts, statutes
Compare with Definitions
Law
A particular legal system or branch of knowledge.
She's studying criminal law at the university.
Legislation
The act or process of making or enacting laws.
The president signed the new legislation into effect.
Law
Principles and regulations established by a government or community.
The city passed a new law to regulate street vendors.
Legislation
The body of laws in a particular field or subject.
Tax legislation is constantly evolving.
Law
Law is a system of rules created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and the art of justice.
Legislation
A decree or edict.
The king passed legislation that benefited his allies.
Law
A rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority.
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated (or "enacted") by a legislature or other governing body or the process of making it. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to as "legislation", while it remains under consideration to distinguish it from other business.
Law
The body of rules and principles governing the affairs of a community and enforced by a political authority; a legal system
International law.
Legislation
Laws, considered collectively
Housing legislation
Law
The condition of social order and justice created by adherence to such a system
A breakdown of law and civilized behavior.
Legislation
The act or process of legislating; lawmaking.
Law
A set of rules or principles dealing with a specific area of a legal system
Tax law.
Criminal law.
Legislation
A proposed or enacted law or group of laws.
Law
A statute, ordinance, or other rule enacted by a legislature.
Legislation
The act of legislating; preparation and enactment of laws.
Pass legislation
There is a lack of legislation about human cloning.
Law
A judicially established legal requirement; a precedent.
Legislation
Law which has been enacted by legislature or other governing body
Law
The system of judicial administration giving effect to the laws of a community
All citizens are equal before the law.
Legislation
The act of legislating; preparation and enactment of laws; the laws enacted.
Pythagoras joined legislation to his philosophy.
Law
Legal action or proceedings; litigation
Submit a dispute to law.
Legislation
Law enacted by a legislative body
Law
An impromptu or extralegal system of justice substituted for established judicial procedure
Frontier law.
Legislation
The act of making or enacting laws
Law
An agency or agent responsible for enforcing the law. Often used with the
"The law ... stormed out of the woods as the vessel was being relieved of her cargo" (Sid Moody).
Legislation
The drafting or formulation of laws.
There's a committee responsible for legislation in the senate.
Law
(Informal) A police officer. Often used with the.
Law
The science and study of law; jurisprudence.
Law
Knowledge of law.
Law
The profession of an attorney.
Law
Something, such as an order or a dictum, having absolute or unquestioned authority
The commander's word was law.
Law
A body of principles or precepts held to express the divine will, especially as revealed in the Bible.
Law
The first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Law
A code of principles based on morality, conscience, or nature.
Law
A rule or custom generally established in a particular domain
The unwritten laws of good sportsmanship.
Law
A way of life
The law of the jungle.
Law
A statement describing a relationship observed to be invariable between or among phenomena for all cases in which the specified conditions are met
The law of gravity.
Law
A generalization based on consistent experience or results
The law of supply and demand.
Law
(Mathematics) A general principle or rule that is assumed or that has been proven to hold between expressions.
Law
A principle of organization, procedure, or technique
The laws of grammar.
The laws of visual perspective.
Law
(usually with "the") The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
The courts interpret the law but should not make it.
In theory, entrapment is against the law.
Law
The body of such rules that pertain to a particular topic.
Property law
Commercial hunting and fishing law
Law
Common law, as contrasted with equity.
Law
A binding regulation or custom established in a community in this way.
There is a law against importing wallabies.
A new law forbids driving on that road.
The court ruled that the executive order was not law and nullified it.
Law
(more generally) A rule, such as:
Law
Any rule that must or should be obeyed, concerning behaviours and their consequences. mores.}}
"Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you" is a good law to follow.
The law of self-preservation
Law
A rule or principle regarding the construction of language or art.
The laws of playwriting and poetry
Law
A statement (in physics, etc) of an (observed, established) order or sequence or relationship of phenomena which is invariable under certain conditions. theory.}}
The laws of thermodynamics
Newton's third law of motion states that to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.
This is one of several laws derived from his general theory expounded in the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.
Law
A statement (of relation) that is true under specified conditions; a mathematical or logical rule.
Mathematical laws can be proved purely through mathematics, without scientific experimentation.
Law
Any statement of the relation of acts and conditions to their consequences.
The law of scarcity
The law of supply and demand
Law
(linguistics) A sound law; a regular change in the pronunciation of a language.
Grimm's law
Dahl's law
Law
(cricket) One of the official rules of cricket as codified by the its (former) governing body, the MCC.
Law
The control and order brought about by the observance of such rules.
They worked to maintain law and order.
It was a territory without law, marked by violence.
Law
(informal) A person or group that act(s) with authority to uphold such rules and order (for example, one or more police officers).
Here comes the law — run!
Then the law arrived on the scene
Law
The profession that deals with such rules (as lawyers, judges, police officers, etc).
He is studying for a career in law.
She has practiced law in New York for twenty years.
Law
Jurisprudence, the field of knowledge which encompasses these rules.
She went to university to study law.
Law
Litigation; legal action (as a means of maintaining or restoring order, redressing wrongs, etc).
They were quick to go to law.
Law
An allowance of distance or time (a head start) given to a weaker (human or animal) competitor in a race, to make the race more fair.
Law
(aviation) A mode of operation of the flight controls of a fly-by-wire aircraft.
Normal law; alternate law; direct law
Law
(fantasy) One of two metaphysical forces ruling the world in some fantasy settings, also called order, and opposed to chaos.
Law
An oath sworn before a court, especially disclaiming a debt. wager of law", "wage one's law", "perform one's law", "lose one's law".}}
Law
(obsolete) A tumulus of stones.
Law
A hill.
Law
A score; share of expense; legal charge.
Law
(obsolete) To work as a lawyer; to practice law.
Law
To prosecute or sue (someone), to litigate.
Law
(nonstandard) To rule over (with a certain effect) by law; to govern.
Law
(informal) To enforce the law.
Law
To subject to legal restrictions.
Law
(dated) An exclamation of mild surprise; lawks.
Law
In general, a rule of being or of conduct, established by an authority able to enforce its will; a controlling regulation; the mode or order according to which an agent or a power acts.
These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made.
The law of thy God, and the law of the King.
As if they would confine the Interminable . . . Who made our laws to bind us, not himself.
His mind his kingdom, and his will his law.
Law
In morals: The will of God as the rule for the disposition and conduct of all responsible beings toward him and toward each other; a rule of living, conformable to righteousness; the rule of action as obligatory on the conscience or moral nature.
Law
The Jewish or Mosaic code, and that part of Scripture where it is written, in distinction from the gospel; hence, also, the Old Testament.
What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law . . . But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
Law
An organic rule, as a constitution or charter, establishing and defining the conditions of the existence of a state or other organized community.
Law
In philosophy and physics: A rule of being, operation, or change, so certain and constant that it is conceived of as imposed by the will of God or by some controlling authority; as, the law of gravitation; the laws of motion; the law heredity; the laws of thought; the laws of cause and effect; law of self-preservation.
Law
In mathematics: The rule according to which anything, as the change of value of a variable, or the value of the terms of a series, proceeds; mode or order of sequence.
Law
In arts, works, games, etc.: The rules of construction, or of procedure, conforming to the conditions of success; a principle, maxim; or usage; as, the laws of poetry, of architecture, of courtesy, or of whist.
Law
Collectively, the whole body of rules relating to one subject, or emanating from one source; - including usually the writings pertaining to them, and judicial proceedings under them; as, divine law; English law; Roman law; the law of real property; insurance law.
Law
Legal science; jurisprudence; the principles of equity; applied justice.
Reason is the life of the law; nay, the common law itself is nothing else but reason.
Law is beneficence acting by rule.
And sovereign Law, that state's collected willO'er thrones and globes elate,Sits empress, crowning good, repressing ill.
Law
Trial by the laws of the land; judicial remedy; litigation; as, to go law.
When every case in law is right.
He found law dear and left it cheap.
Law
An oath, as in the presence of a court.
Law
An exclamation of mild surprise.
Law
Legal document setting forth rules governing a particular kind of activity;
There is a law against kidnapping
Law
The collection of rules imposed by authority;
Civilization presupposes respect for the law
The great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order
Law
A generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature;
The laws of thermodynamics
Law
A rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society
Law
The learned profession that is mastered by graduate study in a law school and that is responsible for the judicial system;
He studied law at Yale
Law
The force of policemen and officers;
The law came looking for him
Law
The branch of philosophy concerned with the law and the principles that lead courts to make the decisions they do
Law
A system of rules recognized by a country or community.
The law prohibits stealing.
Law
A statement of fact deduced from observation.
According to the law of gravity, what goes up must come down.
Law
A rule defining correct behavior or procedure.
It's the law of the house to remove your shoes before entering.
Common Curiosities
Can legislation be proposed by anyone?
Typically, members of a legislative body propose legislation, but processes vary by country.
Are laws always written?
No, some laws, like customary or common laws, can be unwritten.
Who enforces legislation?
Once legislation becomes law, it's enforced by the relevant authority, like the police.
How are laws different from regulations?
Laws provide a general framework, while regulations offer detailed directions under those laws.
Is legislation the same as law?
No, legislation refers to the process of making laws, while law is the end product.
Can laws change?
Yes, laws can be amended, repealed, or introduced through legislation.
Are all laws derived from legislation?
No, laws can also come from customs, judicial decisions, or precedents.
Who can veto legislation?
It varies, but often an executive authority, like a president, has veto power.
How does a bill become a law?
Through a legislative process, involving discussions, amendments, and final approval.
Are all laws just and fair?
Laws aim for justice and fairness, but interpretations and perceptions vary.
Is international law the result of legislation?
Not typically. It's based on treaties, customs, and other agreements.
Can legislation be retroactive?
It depends on the jurisdiction, but generally, legislation is prospective.
Can a law exist without legislation?
Yes, through customs or judicial decisions.
What's the first step in legislation?
Often, it's the introduction of a bill or proposal.
Can individuals influence legislation?
Yes, through lobbying, petitions, or public feedback.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
