National law is a body of rules that govern a nation’s domestic affairs. A nation’s laws also include the conventions that it ratifies. These conventions are sometimes referred to as lex mercatoria. Once ratified, international conventions become national law. However, a nation’s laws also differ from those of other nations.

When talking about ‘national law,’ it’s important to remember that it is a broad classification. The term refers to the set of laws that a given nation’s government and judiciary enacts. These laws are enacted by Congress and signed by the president of a country. Unlike state laws, which are made by judges, national laws are considered official expressions of the state.

A nation’s laws also influence international law. The International Criminal Court, for example, uses customs as a basis for its judgments. Customs are a common practice that a nation follows when it maintains international relations. While customs are not always enforceable, they can be made into law. In many cases, states are the primary contributors to the creation of new customs. For example, the United States and the Soviet Union developed new space laws during the Cold War.

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