Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | United StatesReviewed | FranceReviewed | JapanReviewed | Cape VerdeReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Common law | Civil law | Civil law with common-law influence | Civil law (Portuguese tradition) |
| System of government | Federal presidential constitutional republic | Unitary semi-presidential republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the United States | Constitution of the Fifth Republic | Constitution of Japan | Constitution of the Republic of Cabo Verde |
| In force since | 1789 | 1958 | 1947 | 1992 |
| Capital | Washington, D.C. | Paris | Tokyo | Praia |
| Official languages | English, Spanish | French | Japanese | Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole |
| Currency | US Dollar (USD) | Euro (EUR) | Japanese Yen (JPY) | Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE) |
| Population | 335,000,000 | 68,200,000 | 123,500,000 | 600,000 |
| Division of powers | Strict separation between Congress, the President and the federal judiciary, checked by veto, impeachment, advice-and-consent over appointments, and judicial review established in Marbury v. Madison (1803). | Semi-presidential: the President holds reserved powers over defence and foreign affairs; the Government answers to Parliament. The Conseil constitutionnel reviews statutes before promulgation and, since 2008, on referral from litigation. | Parliamentary government with the Cabinet collectively responsible to the Diet, and a Supreme Court holding the final power of constitutional review. | Semi-presidential: a directly elected President with limited powers, a Prime Minister accountable to the National Assembly, and an independent judiciary with a separate Constitutional Court. |
| How law is made | A bill is introduced in either chamber, referred to committee, reported, debated and voted. It must pass both chambers in identical text, then be signed by the President or survive a veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber. | A projet or proposition de loi shuttles between the chambers; the Assembly can be given the last word. Organic laws and constitutional amendments follow stricter routes. | Most bills are Cabinet-sponsored, drafted by ministries and reviewed by the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, then passed by both houses; the lower house can override the upper by a two-thirds majority. | Bills are debated in general and in detail by the National Assembly, voted, then sent to the President for promulgation. The President may veto or request prior constitutional review by the Constitutional Court. |
| Legal profession | Admission is state-by-state: an accredited JD, a state bar examination, and a character and fitness review. There is no split between barristers and solicitors. | Avocats qualify through a CRFPA examination and the CAPA. Notaires, huissiers and avocats aux Conseils are separate regulated professions. | Candidates pass the national bar examination, then complete a year at the Legal Training and Research Institute before qualifying as bengoshi, judge or prosecutor. | Advogados admitted through the Ordem dos Advogados after a law degree and traineeship; notaries and registrars form separate careers on the Portuguese model. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.