The Law Merchant, a precursor to modern industrial law, emphasised the freedom to contract and alienability of property. As nationalism grew within the 18th and 19th centuries, the Law Merchant was incorporated into international locations’ local law under new civil codes. In distinction to English widespread law, which consists of huge tomes of case law, codes in small books are simple to export and easy for judges to apply. EU law is codified in treaties, but develops through de facto precedent laid down by the European Court of Justice.

Perkins Coie’s Markus Funk and Sean Solis analyze the government’s campaign …