What is the difference between the Constitution and the Law?
What is Constitution and Law?
A constitution is a legal structure that defines an institution of the Government and its principal roles. It sets out the country's standards of activity.
In general a Constitution is a collection of fundamental principles that constitute the legal basis of the polity, organization and others and defines how it has to be governed.
Such principles when written down as a legal document and followed by every member of the entity becomes a Constitution.
Constitutions may be written or codified or oral.
Law is the discipline, the system of rules that have been created and enforced by government institutions to define what the people of the place may do or not do. Law is also encompassing of the constitution, the rules and regulations followed in the land making it a wider subject.
Difference between Constitution and Law
Listed below are the differences between Constitution and Law
| Constitution | Law |
| The Constitution is the Law of the Land. It is considered the principle law of the land | Law is interpreted by societal or political institution as a set of rules that are useful in governing the behaviour of the people of the land. |
| A Constitution is the set of fundamental laws that stipulates how a country should be governed. It includes the basic political code, framework, mechanisms, powers and obligations of public institutions along with the fundamental rights, the directive and the duties of people etc. | Law is inclusive of the Constitution, legal precedents, related legislative rules and conventions much more. There is no precise definition of law. |
| The various types of Constitution are Monarchy, Republican, Presidential, Parliamentary, Federal, Unitary, Political, Legal etc. | There are different types of laws- Constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, contract law, property law, Labor law, Immigration law, Laws on human rights, company law, intellectual property law, space law, tax law, banking law, Consumer law, Environmental law. |
| The constitution creates the difference between the Legislative, the Judiciary and the Executive of the country. | Law of the land is enforced by the ruling bodies of a country. |
| The Constitution is the fundamental law that establishes a system of government, defines the scope of Governmental Sovereign powers | The laws of the land are influenced by morality. |
| The Constitution guides how any country should be organized | Law is a system of rules which are recognized to regulate the actions of its citizens |
| Constitution is a guarantee of Civil rights and liberties | Law guarantees morality in actions |
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