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public law
noun
1
: a legislative enactment affecting the public at large
2
: a branch of law concerned with regulating the relations of individuals with the government and the organization and conduct of the government itself compare private law
Examples of public law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The November 2023 raid at Suggs’ Brooklyn home was the first public law enforcement action taken as part of the Adams-Turkey investigation.
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Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025
To find out how that compares to other places, CBS News filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests with the ATF for details about the high-powered arsenal it's granted to public law enforcement over the past decade.
—
E.d. Cauchi, CBS News, 4 Dec. 2024
The meeting was authorized by public law and supported with federal funds.
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Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 18 Nov. 2024
Stephen Woolpert is professor emeritus of public law and former dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Saint Mary’s College of California.
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Stephen Woolpert, The Mercury News, 3 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near public law
Cite this Entry
“Public law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20law. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Legal Definition
public law
noun1
: an enactment of a legislature that affects the public at large throughout the entire territory (as a state or nation) which is subject to the jurisdiction of the legislature or within a particular subdivision of its jurisdiction : general law
called also public act, public statute
compare local law sense 1a2
a
: the area of law that deals with the relations of individuals with the state and regulates the organization and conduct of government compare private law
b
: international law regulating the relations among sovereign states or nations as distinguished from private international law
More from Merriam-Webster on public law
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about public law
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