The terms law and statute often confuse people who do not possess in-depth knowledge of the lawmaking process. Additionally, the word “act” adds to this confusion. However, there are subtle distinctions between law and statute that this article will discuss.
Statute
Statutes are the written laws of a country that its legislative body passes. Organizations such as companies or universities also have statutes. Unwritten laws of a country are not called statutes. Courts do not make statutes, and governments do not issue them as ordinances. Statutes have primacy over all other laws, so they are sometimes called black letter laws. Statutes are published in two forms: chronological, where statutes are written in the same order as they are passed by the legislature, and codification, where statutes are classified according to the category they fall into. For a statute to become a law, it requires the approval of the highest executive of the country, usually the President.
Law
Laws refer to all the rules and regulations needed to maintain a community, organization, society, or country. Laws regulate the behavior of community members. There are various types of laws, including property laws, constitutional laws, contract laws, criminal laws, religious laws, and international laws governing relations between nations. In a democracy, there is the rule of law, which indicates a fair system of rule.
Key Takeaways
- Technically, a law is an idea presented as a bill and passed by the two houses of legislature, yet to be ratified by the President, while statutes are written and codified laws.
- Laws can be written or unwritten, and written laws are called statutes.
- Statutes have primacy over all other laws and are sometimes referred to as black letter laws.
