Glossary
Statute
A law passed by a legislature: Congress for federal statutes, the state legislature for state statutes. Statutes are written law, distinct from court-made common law and agency-made regulations.
Statutes are organized into codes. Federal statutes are in the United States Code (U.S.C.), divided into 50+ titles by subject matter. Each state has its own organization: California Codes, Tennessee Code Annotated, New York Consolidated Laws, etc.
When a statute conflicts with a court decision based on common law, the statute usually wins (legislatures can change common law by passing a new statute). When a statute conflicts with the Constitution, the Constitution wins, and the statute is unconstitutional.
Reading statutes is a skill: they often have technical defined terms, cross-references to other statutes, and exceptions to exceptions.