Law, civil, is the body of laws by which the people of Nephi appointed judges, heard cases, and punished crimes. Mosiah established laws that the people acknowledged and were “obliged to abide by” after no king reigned in his stead (Alma 1:1). He directed the people to choose judges “by the voice of this people” to judge according to laws given by their fathers (Mosiah 29:25).
Judges could be reviewed by higher judges when they did not judge according to the given law, and lower judges could be gathered to judge higher judges (Mosiah 29:28-29). In a debt case, a judge sent officers to bring a debtor before him and judged according to “the law and the evidences” brought against the debtor. A debtor could be compelled to pay, stripped, or cast out as a thief and robber (Alma 11:2).
The law imposed no punishment for belief, because “there was no law against a man’s belief” (Alma 30:7-9). Murder, robbery, theft, and adultery were punished, and men were judged according to their crimes (Alma 30:10-11). Paanchi was tried according to the voice of the people and condemned to death after raising rebellion and seeking to destroy the people’s liberty (Helaman 1:7-8).