The American legal system is a common law system, where cases are settled based on tradition, common practice and interpretation of statutes.
美国的法律体系是普通法体系,在这种体系下,案件的裁决所依据的是传统、惯例和对成文法的解释。
As we have already known, as a matter of practice, even in common law countries there are quite a few number of codes of law.
众所周知,实践中普通法国家也有大量的法典存在。
But what should be emphasized is that the central feature of the system lies in its reliance on case law or judge-made law.
但要强调的是,普通法体系的显著特征在于它对案例法或称法官法的依赖。
That is, precedents are used as guidance to deal with the same or analogous situations arising today.
也就是说,先例被引用来处理现在所出现的相同或类似的情况。
The American legal system is originally based on the British legal system and the United States Constitution.
美国法律制度是在英国法律制度和美国宪法的基础上建立的。
Article Ⅲ, Section Ⅰ of the Constitution States that the judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court,
美国宪法第三条第一款规定,美国的司法权授予一个最高法院 ,
and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.
和国会随时建立的下级法院。
So in the United States of America, a United States Supreme Court is provided by the Constitution,
所以,在美国,有一个宪法规定的最高法院,
and other courts are established by the U.S. Congress in accordance with the Constitution.
以及美国国会依照宪法建立的其他法院。