Modern states rest on a single source of law applied equally, unlike premodern states
Evidence
Unlike premodern states that rested on multiple sources of authority and rules applied differentially to various social classes, modern states at least in principle rest on a singular authoritative body and source of law applied equally to all citizens. Modern (at least liberal) states enshrine a unitary code of rights protecting all members positioned and placed in suitably similar ways. Individuals are both equally incorporated into the state and reasonably protected not just from each other but from state incursion. — David Theo Goldberg, The Racial State, 135
Categorization
- XREF: Connects with the Weberian state theory of singular legal-rational authority and with premodern pluralistic authority structures. — connects to: The public-private law split originated in classical Roman law — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law: An Introduction, 776