Statute

A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature, typically declaring, commanding, or prohibiting something. It is distinguished from court law and unwritten law (common law) as the expressed will of a legislative body, and from secondary legislation or regulations issued by an executive body under authority granted by a statute. Depending on the legal system, a statute may also be referred to as an 'act.'

The word "statute" entered English usage as early as the 14th century, derived from Old French terms such as statut and estatut, meaning a royal promulgation or legal statute. These, in turn, came from the Late Latin statutum, meaning a law or decree. Virtually all countries publish newly enacted statutes, traditionally in chronological order by date of enactment, often in a government gazette or a series of books limited to legislative acts.

A persistent challenge for lawmakers is organizing these statutes, as they accumulate rapidly over time. To address this, many jurisdictions adopt a system of codification, organizing existing statutory law into topical codes. New statutes are then drafted to add, amend, repeal, or move sections within these codes, so the code reflects the current cumulative state of the law. In many nations, statutory law is distinguished from and subordinate to constitutional law.

The term "statute" also appears in international law, referring to treaties that establish institutions, such as the Statute of the International Court of Justice or the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. In Spain, an autonomy statute is a legal document for an autonomous community, enacted by the national legislature and holding the rank of organic law, which sits between the constitution and ordinary laws. Additionally, some universities, particularly in the United Kingdom, refer to their by-laws as statutes, revisions of which normally require permission from the Privy Council.