a court of law vs. the court of laws

Question

Hello,I remember I once asked "Could this be disputed in the court of laws?" and received this answer: "Anything could be disputed in a court of law!"Question #1: Should the instead of a be used in a country where only one court exists, "the court of the people".Question #2: What about laws vs. law?Thanks and Best Regards,Hoa Thai

Feebs11 · Accepted Answer

A court of law is a court that hears cases and makes decisions based on statutes or the common law. The plural form is "courts of law".

"Law" here is the term meaning the system of judicial administration giving effect to the laws of a community; it is always singular.

I am not sure what you mean "a country where only one court exists".

Hoa Thai · Answer

Feebs11A court of law is a court that hears cases and makes decisions based on statutes or the common law. The plural form is "courts of law".

"Law" here is the term meaning the system of judicial administration giving effect to the laws of a community; it is always singular.

I am not sure what you mean "a country where only one court exists".

Hi Feebs,

Here is a scenario:
Judge (a 12th grade villager): You must pay $100 USD fine.
Defendant: That's too heavy! The cop asked me for 10. I would rather pay the fine at the traffic court.
Judge: Here we have only one court, "the court of the people."

Regarding my use of laws, I thought if there is only one court, the villager could be the judge of many kinds of law. (i.e., analogous to fish and fishes).

Thanks again,
Hoa Thai

Marius Hancu · Answer

1. No "the," not idiomatic. "A" means "some" here.
2. Not idiomatic.
Learn what you have been told, don't invent too much in languages.
Better to read more, than to invent more

Hoa Thai · Answer

Marius Hancu1. No "the," not idiomatic. "A" means "some" here.
2. Not idiomatic.
Learn what you have been told, don't invent too much in languages.
Better to read more, than to invent more

Hi Marius Hancu,

I beg to be different!

First, I am not inventing. Of course in your country where one can say I go to this court or that court, when you talk about 'a ', it means 'some'; and 'law' is idiomatic. But if you are under ONE AND ONLY ONE court, definitive 'the' should be used since there is no other one (i.e., you know what the addresser talks about). Isn't that in any grammar book?

Second, what's wrong with an 'outside the box' exploration with valid assumptions (predefined parameters)? As you seem to know much more than I do, isn't that how any language grows and changes over time just like anything else in this world, including us?

I would appreciate very much if you can help us analyze our mistakes rather than just "Not in the book." Could you please do that?

Thanks,
Hoa Thai

Marius Hancu · Answer

BrE
20 from bbc.co.uk for "in the court of law"
1,410 from bbc.co.uk for "in a court of law"

AmE
11,300 from nytimes.com for "in the court of law"
6,910 from nytimes.com for "in a court of law"

Your choice.

>definitive 'the' should be used since there is no other one

a court of law vs. the court of laws

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