Quoting: In the U.S. justice system, the written law which emerges from the legislative branch is just a starting point. The actual law that one must follow is determined by the rulings of a wide variety of courts across the country. At times, divergent rulings can result in different interpretations of the same law in different regions. The process of creating a coherent set of high-court precedents can be long and messy, and it can create a great deal of uncertainty while it is happening. Uncertainty about the law is never a good thing.