Problem
Based on the reading, In British legal history, what is a writ? What was the historical importance of writs in the court system?
Because Britain lacked the structure of the code, this also meant that over time, the law grew extremely complex. There was no effort at simplifying the law. In addition, because the king's centralization of the countryside was piecemeal, the court system was also highly fragmented and also highly complex. To get into a court of law, you would need a lawyer to pick out the correct standardized form. In other words, the legal dispute had to fit into a certain box. Those forms were called writs. We still have the residue of that word in our own legal system today, for instance, the Supreme Court would have a writ of certiorari. But it's really the standardized form that arose in medieval England. If you couldn't bring a claim in the court of law because none of these standardized forms would apply, you had to go to a court of equity and see the chancellor for some kind of equitable relief. We still have the residue of courts of equity in our own legal system today, you can still go and get an injunction or some kind of extraordinary relief in court. There are some states.