Legal Question in Business Law in California

Re: Uniform Laws

One of the more important goals of uniformity of laws from state to state is to facilitate interstate commerce. Laws such as the Uniform Commercial Code make it possible, for example, for a merchant in State X to order goods from a wholesaler or manufacturer in State Y without having to investigate all the peculiarities of that state's laws respecting the making, performance and interpretation of contracts.

Re: Uniform Laws

The goal is to make rules in certain areas of the law the same across the country.

The United States of America is comprised of 50 states. Each state can enact its own laws. In general, these laws do not need to be the same from state to state.

For example, each state establishes its own rules regarding taxation. Some states charge no personal income tax, while others do. Those that charge income tax charge different rates. Another example is gambling. Nevada has legalized casinos. New Jersey has legalized casinos in Atlantic City. No other state has legalized casinos. [Indian reservations are another matter entirely].

So for certain matters that impact more than one state, or address fundamental concerns, states often get together and try to draft a common set of laws. These are "uniform."

Of course, each state has to then adopy the uniform laws. Often, the uniform laws get changed and vary a littel from state to state. California is notorious for tweaking uniform laws.

Hope that wasn't too much information. It was a simple question with a complex answer.