Statutes are laws passed by state legislatures (state laws) and by the United States Congress (federal laws). Statutes are one of the primary sources of law in the United States (sometimes referred to as statutory law) and cover a wide variety of legal topics. Courts often rely on statutes to resolve legal disputes (lawsuits) by applying the relevant statutes to the particular set of factual circumstances underlying the dispute.

Courts generally seek the clear and plain meaning of a statute, and if the court finds a statute ambiguous or “ambiguous on its face” (looking only at the words as written) the court may attempt to determine what the legislature intended in enacting the statute—known as legislative intent.

Related statutes are sometimes compiled in groups and referred to as codes—such as the penal code, the family code, or the code of civil procedure. Statutes may be amended (changed) or repealed (eliminated) by the legislature or Congress or declared unconstitutional (and thus unenforceable) by a court.

In Louisiana (LA), statutes are the written laws that have been enacted by the state legislature or the United States Congress. These laws encompass a broad range of legal subjects and are essential for the functioning of the legal system. When courts in Louisiana face legal disputes, they interpret and apply these statutes to the facts of the case. The interpretation process typically starts with the language of the statute itself, seeking its clear and plain meaning. If a statute is found to be ambiguous, courts may look into the legislative history and intent behind the law to resolve the ambiguity. Louisiana, like other states, organizes related statutes into codes, such as the Louisiana Civil Code, the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Louisiana Children's Code, among others. These codes facilitate legal research and organization of the law. Statutes can be modified or repealed by the legislature, and they can also be struck down by the judiciary if found to be unconstitutional.