A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a country, state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from the judicial decisions of the common law and the regulations issued by Government agencies. Statutes are sometimes referred to as legislation or "black letter law". As a source of law, statutes are considered primary authority (as opposed to secondary authority).
Before a statute becomes law in some countries, it must be agreed upon by the highest executive in the government, and finally published as part of a code. In many countries, statutes are organized in topical arrangements (or "codified") within publications called codes, such as the United States Code. In the United States, statutory law is distinguished from and subordinate to constitutional law.
Alternative meanings
International law
The term
statute is sometimes also used to refer to an International
treaty that establishes an
institution, such as the Statute of the
European Central Bank, a protocol to the
Treaty of Maastricht. This includes international courts as well, such as the Statute of the
International Court of Justice and the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court. Statute is also another word for law. The term was adapted from England in about the 18th century.
Biblical terminology
In biblical terminology, a Statute (Hebrew
chok) refers to a law given without a reason. The classic example is the Statute regarding the
Red Heifer, the reason for which, legend has it, defied even the wisdom of
King Solomon.
The opposite of a chok is a mishpat, a law given for a specified reason, e.g. the Sabbath laws, which were given because "God created the world in six days, but on the seventh day He rested". (Genesis 2:2-3)
Autonomy Statute
In the
Autonomous Communities of Spain the Autonomy Statute is a legal document similar in all but name to a state constitution in a federal state. The name was chosen because federalism was a taboo subject when the
constitution of 1978 was approved.
References
See also
