public law

American  

noun

1. Also called public statute.  Also called public act,.  a law or statute of a general character that applies to the people of a whole state or nation.

2. a branch of law dealing with the legal relationships between the state and individuals and with the relations among governmental agencies.

3. public international law.

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public law British  

noun

1. a law that applies to the public of a state or nation

2. the branch of law that deals with relations between a state and its individual members Compare private law

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Etymology

Origin of public law

First recorded in 1765–75

Compare meaning

How does public-law compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• public law vs. private law

Example Sentences

“It’s not a grand conspiracy orchestrated by the system,” said Benjamin Morel, a professor of public law at Paris-Panthéon-Assas University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

Thomas Hooker, the 17th-century “father of Connecticut,” invoked the model of the biblical “Hebrew Republic” in Election Day sermons to the settlers of that church-state, whose separation of religion and public law would come later.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2024

Family courts hear both public law cases, where children may be removed from their families, and private law cases, where parents are separating.

From BBC • Dec. 1, 2023

Separately, 71 Australian university teachers of constitution law and other fields of public law signed an open letter published Friday that rebutted the argument that the Voice would be “risky.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 5, 2023

The principles laid down in it may be considered as incorporated into the public law of the United States, and will have their influence beyond our own territorial limits and beyond our own time.

From The Works of Daniel Webster, Volume 1 by Webster, Daniel