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

It’s true that our common law and constitutional precedents have long protected parents’ relationship with their children—and in our view, with good reason.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

In the modern era, the British heritage of common law, freedom of speech and personal virtue didn’t constrain innovation but produced it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Alabama and common law pleading, for instance, was a subject so ethereal in nature that Henry passed it only by memorizing the book.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee