As recently as the 12th century, law was "rediscovered" in Bologna. And it is this rediscovery which eventually led to the centralized state, replacing the chaos that followed the collapse of the western empire. This, I know, sounds trivial, and perhaps it is; however, what it leads to is the inescapable conclusion that the State and the Law are inseparable. So, whether or not the law is sometimes asinine is irrelevant; what is important is that it is necessary; and that to be effective, it has to be followed to the letter. Evidently, the woman in question did not consider this.
Of course, we could always re-introduce trial by ordeal, or by combat
