Not Indexed The previous article discussed the typical common law legal system. Here, we will focus on the civil law system. The civil law system, also known as the continental system, is used in many more countries than the common law. The prototypical civil law country is France, followed by Germany and Italy.
Codification is the responsibility of the legislative body.
The judge's role is limited to the application of the law to the facts of a given case. For years, scholars believed that a judge was not ever allowed to interpret the law. This lack of judicial precedent was designed to restrict the power of the judicial branch. Prior to the French Revolution, the power of the bench had been overwhelming. Therefore, one of the main points of the French Revolution was the restriction of judicial power.