term:

Natural Law

natural law n

: a body of law or a specific principle of law that is held to be derived from nature and binding upon human society in the absence of or in addition to positive law NOTE: While natural law, based on a notion of timeless order, does not receive as much credence as it did formerly, it was an important influence on the enumeration of natural rights by Thomas Jefferson and others.

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.