The purpose of this paper is to show that although not originally intended to, some our modern day courts in the United States have in essence become legislators. I will give a brief overview of the history of courts and site some cases where the decisions handed down or the opinions of the court have set precedent in the way the law is understood and enforced.
             As long as man has been on this earth there have been conflicts or disputes that needed to be resolved by a third party. By definition, a court is a.) a place where legal justice is administered b.) a judicial tribunal duly constituted for the hearing and determination of cases. The recognized existence of even primitive courts implies a relatively high degree of social organization and the need for systematic resolution of disputes based on established customs and rules of conduct. Courts have been set up to hear disputes between two or more parties. In medieval European history a Curiae was a court, or group of persons, who attended to a ruler at any given time for disputes of social, political or judicial purposes were resolved. It's composition and functions varied considerably from time to time and from country to country during a period when executive, legislative and judicial functions were not as distinct as they were later to become. The ruler and the curia made all policy and decisions either great or small and if the ruler was a powerful one, were as active as a modern day court of law. The curia of England underwent an evolution from the medieval curiae. It was known as Curia Regis, which was introduced at the time of the Norman Conquest (1066) and lasted until the end of the 13th century. The Curia Regis was the start that the higher courts of law, the Privy Council and the Cabinet, evolved from. About the same time, the Curia undertook financial duties. The members were called "justices" and in the king's absence presided over the court. In 1178,...