Statute facts for kids
A statute is a written law that has been officially passed by a group of lawmakers. In the United States, these lawmakers are part of the federal or state legislature. Think of a statute as a special rule or regulation that everyone must follow.
Statutes are also known as legal codes. They are very important because they give power to other laws. Many government groups, like the IRS (which handles taxes) or the EPA (which protects the environment), create their own rules based on these statutes. A statute usually tells people what they must do, what they cannot do, or what the government believes is important.
If people disagree about what a statute means, a court might step in. A judge will then explain the statute more clearly. When a court does this, its explanation also becomes part of the law, called case law.
Before a statute becomes a real law in many countries, the top leader of the government (like a president or governor) must agree to it. After that, the new law is officially printed and added to the legal codes. In many places, statutes are organized by topic or by the area they cover. It's important to know that statutes are usually less powerful than a country's constitutional law, which is the highest law of the land.
Images for kids
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This is a statute from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, written in Polish.
See also
In Spanish: Ley para niños
