common law

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Blockaders even developed a legal argument to justify their actions, drawing on the common law defense of necessity, which allows someone to break a law to achieve a greater moral good.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026

Justice Elena Kagan said the administration was seeking to undo a legal tradition of birthright citizenship that dates back to English common law.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Chief Justice John Roberts stressed in the Jarkesy majority opinion that government penalties “designed to punish or deter the wrongdoer” are a “prototypical common law remedy.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

When it came to creating this new government, rebelling against and pushing back against restrictions we had experienced under English common law, press freedom was seen to be essential.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

Congress had moved gradual emancipation off its political agenda; its decision in the spring of 1790 became a precedent with the force of common law.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis