Law of France  The Law of France refers to the legal system in the French Republic, which is a civil law legal system primarily based on legal codes and statutes, with case law also playing an important role. The most influential of the French legal codes is the Napoleonic Civil Code, which inspired the civil codes of Europe and later across the world. The Constitution of France adopted in 1958 is the supreme law in France. European Union law is becoming increasingly important in France, as in other EU member states. In academic terms, French law can be divided into two main categories: private law ("Droit privé") and public law ("droit public"). This differs from the traditional common law concepts in which the main distinction is between criminal law and civil law. Private law governs relationships between individuals. It includes, in particular:  Public law defines the structure and the workings of the government as well as relationships between the state and the individual. It includes, in particular:  Together, these two distinctions form the backbone of legal studies in France, such that it has become a classical distinction  Legislation is seen as the primary source of French law. Unlike in common law jurisdictions, where a collection of cases and practices (known as the "common law") historically form the basis of law, the French legal system emphasizes statutes as the primary source of law. Despite this emphasis, some bodies of law, like French administrative law, was primarily created by the courts (the highest administrative court, the "Conseil d’État)." Lawyers often look to case law ("la jurisprudence") and legal scholarship ("la doctrine") for reliable, but non-binding, interpretation and statements of the law. French legislative sources can be classified into four categories:    French legislation follows a hierarchy of norms ("hiérarchie des normes"). Constitutional laws are superior to all other sources, then treaties, then parliamentary statutes ("loi"), then government regulations. Legislation enacted by orders ("ordonnances") and regulations issued by the executive under Art. 38 of the constitution ("Règlements autonomes") have the same status as parliamentary statutes. European Union treaties and EU law enacted under the authority of EU treaties are superior to domestic law. French courts consider the French Constitution to be superior to international treaties, including EU treaties and EU law. This is in contrast to EU institutions, which sees EU law as superior to the laws of member states. There are several categories of legislation:    By contrast, administrative "circulaires" are not law, merely instructions by government ministries.