Statute

A statute is a formal, written enactment of a law. It is created by a legislative body. This body might represent a whole country or a smaller area. Such areas include a state, a province, a county, or a municipality.

Statutes serve specific purposes in a society. They can declare a rule, command an action, or prohibit a certain behavior. In many legal systems, people also refer to a statute as an "act."

It is important to distinguish statutes from other types of law. Statutes represent the expressed will of the legislature. They are different from unwritten law, which is also known as common law. They are also distinct from secondary legislation. Secondary legislation consists of regulations issued by an executive body. These bodies only issue regulations because a statute gives them the authority to do so.

Lawmakers must ensure that people can access the laws that govern them. In almost all countries, newly enacted statutes are published and distributed. This allows citizens to look up the statutory law. One way to do this is through a government gazette. A gazette is a publication that includes legal notices and other government information. Statutes may also be printed in series of books. These books contain only legislative acts. Traditionally, these publications list statutes in chronological order based on their date of enactment.

Organizing these laws presents a universal problem for lawmakers. As time passes, the number of statutes grows rapidly. This happens because new statutes are often made to respond to specific needs or exigencies. Eventually, the collection of laws becomes enormous. People trying to find the law must sort through many different enactments. They must determine which specific parts of those laws are still in effect.

To solve this, many countries use a method called codification. Instead of just a long list of dates, they organize laws into topical arrangements. These organized collections are called codes. When new statutes are drafted, they are written to interact with these existing codes. A new statute might add to a code, amend a section, or repeal a rule. It might also move a section to a different place. In theory, this ensures the code reflects the current state of the law in that jurisdiction.

The history of the word "statute" is quite old. It has been used in the English language since the 14th century. The word comes from Old French terms like *statut*, *estatut*, or *estatu*. These French words meant a legal statute or a royal promulgation. These terms were derived from the Late Latin word *statutum*. This Latin word meant a decree or a law.

In certain contexts, the word "statute" takes on different meanings. In international law, a statute can refer to an international treaty. These treaties often establish important institutions. Examples include the Statute of the European Central Bank. Other examples are the Statute of the International Court of Justice and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The term was adapted from English in about the 18th century for these uses.

Different regions also use the term in unique ways. In the autonomous communities of Spain, an autonomy statute is a special legal document. It is similar to a constitution for a federated state. However, the national legislature enacts it rather than the community it governs. In Spain, these have the rank of *ley orgánica*, or organic law. These laws rank between the constitution and ordinary laws. They are used for main institutions and issues mentioned in the constitution. Finally, some universities, especially in the United Kingdom, use the term for their by-laws. Changing these university statutes may require permission from the Privy Council.