Take for instance, prohibition laws enacted in the early 1900 s to curb alcohol consumption. Public opinion opposed these laws. With no compliance and utter disrespect for these laws from the majority of American society, it was soon overturned. Laws must reflect society s values. Therefore, ideas, values, and attitudes about law must be considered to evaluate the stability, legitimacy, and effectiveness of a legal system.
Legal systems are products of legal culture.
Without addressing where legal systems are rooted, comparing law will become problematic. A culture s norms, traditions, and values transform into legal norms. For example, American society as a consensus believes strongly in monogamy, therefore family law limits a man and woman to one spouse. Another culture might believe very strongly that polygamy should exist and use religious texts to justify it. Hence, this culture unlike the United States divorces church and state.