That works fine in similar countries where divorce rules are highly codified, precedents do not matter and judges’ discretion is limited.

这在离婚法相似的国家还行得通，既不参照先例，而且法官的裁量权有限。

youdao

The modern French and American polities may have evolved quite differently, notably where the role of the state is concerned, but both emerged as highly codified, anti-clerical, secular republics.

ECONOMIST: French anti-Americanism