What’s the Difference Between Criminal Law and Civil Law?
October 1, 2010  Few things confuse people more than “The Law.”
One way to reduce this confusion is to understand the
differences between civil law and criminal law. Though both
categories work to protect our rights as citizens, they cover
very different aspects of society.  Old Custer County Courtroom
Image by jimmywayne via Flickr  Civil Law deals with
disagreements between private individuals (commercial or
personal injury disputes, for example). Typically, one person
will claim that the other person’s actions caused him harm, and
file a civil suit seeking compensation for the damage caused.
The plaintiff (the person filing the suit) must demonstrate by a
“preponderance of the evidence” that the defendant was
responsible for the harm. In other words, only a majority (51%)
of the evidence must support the plaintiff’s claim, which is a
much lower burden of proof than is used in criminal cases.  In
addition, only five of the six jurors (in a six-jur