Public law governs relationships between individuals and the government as well as relationships between individuals that directly impact society. It includes constitutional law, which establishes the supremacy of law and the basic framework of government and human rights protections, administrative law which regulates government agencies, and criminal law which allows the state to impose sanctions for crimes committed. While public law relationships are asymmetric with the government able to make decisions impacting individuals, authorities must still act within the law and provide means for judicial review of decisions. Public rights like welfare benefits are also distinguished from private rights between individuals.

1. Public Law
Public law is that part of law which governs relationships between individuals and
the government, and those relationships between individuals which are of direct
concern to the society. Public law comprises constitutional law, administrative
law, tax law and criminal law, as well as all procedural law. In public law,
mandatory rules (not optional) prevail. Laws concerning relationships between
individuals belong to private law.
The relationships public law governs are asymmetric and unequal; government
bodies (central or local) can make decisions about the rights of individuals.
However, as a consequence of the rule of law doctrine, authorities may only act
within the law. The government must obey the law. For example, a citizen
unhappy with a decision of an administrative authority can ask a court for judicial
review.
Rights, too, can be divided into private rights and public rights. A paragon of a
public right is the right to welfare benefits – only a natural person can claim such
payments, and they are awarded through an administrative decision out of the
government budget.
Areas of Public Law
Constitutional law
In modern states, constitutional law lays out the foundations of the state. Above
all, it postulates the supremacy of law in the functioning of the state – the rule of
law.
Secondly, it sets out the form of government – how its different branches work,
how they are elected or appointed, and the division of powers and responsibilities
between them. Traditionally, the basic elements of government are the executive,
the legislature and the judiciary.
And thirdly, in describing what are the basic human rights, which must be
protected for every person, and what further civil and political rights citizens

2. have, it sets the fundamental borders to what any government must and must
not do.
Administrative law
Administrative law refers to the body of law which regulates bureaucratic
managerial procedures and defines the powers of administrative agencies. These
laws are enforced by the executive branch of a government rather than the
judicial or legislative branches (if they are different in that particular jurisdiction).
This body of law regulates international trade, manufacturing, pollution, taxation,
and the like. This is sometimes seen as a subcategory of civil law and sometimes
seen as public law as it deals with regulation and public institutions.
Criminal law
Criminal law involves the state imposing sanctions for defined crimes committed
by individuals or businesses, so that society can achieve its brand of justice and a
peaceable social order. This differs from civil law in that civil actions are disputes
between two parties that are not of significant public concern.