I'm a bit confused by the usage of the phrase "common law" on this site. The Wikipedia article initially describes it as an abstract concept. The first paragraph reads:
Common law (also known as case law or precedent) is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals that decide individual cases, as opposed to statutes adopted through the legislative process or regulations issued by the executive branch.
Later on, the phrase also seems to refer to a specific body of English law established by court precedent:
Common law originated during the Middle Ages in England,[7] and from there was propagated to the colonies of the British Empire [..]
This is more consistent with what I'm seeing on this site where specific laws are being cited as part of common law. So my understanding is that the phrase "common law" can refer to either the concept of laws established by court precedent or it can refer to a specific body of laws that have been established that way.
What confuses me now is the relationship between common law in different countries. I usually see the phrase being used here simply as "common law" without qualification such as "U.K. common law" or "Virginia common law".
Should I just be inferring that from context? Is there a single body of "common law"? Are there distinct bodies of "U.K. common law" and "U.S. common law" for example? If so, how are they related? Do judges in common law countries cite court decisions in other common law countries?