Statute
A law enacted by a legislative body - such as the United States Congress, or a state senate. Statutes are the primary source of law in the United States, and typically authorize an administrative agency (such as the Federal Communications Commission, or the Securities Exchange Commission) to adopt rules pursuant to the Statute. Rules are more specific laws that arise from the Statute.
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Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary
A written law passed by Congress or a state legislature and signed into law by the president or a state governor. (In fairly rare circumstances, a legislative act can become law without the approval of the head of the executive branch of government.) Statutes are often gathered into compilations called "codes," large sets of books that can be found in many public and all law libraries and on the Internet.
Definition provided by Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary.
August 19, 2010, 5:24 pm
