Reading & Finding Statutes

“Statute” is the term most used in the legal profession to refer to a law that was created through legislation. Statutory law is thus law that specifically examines statutes as they are written and legislated into being, unencumbered by secondary legal analysis and even of the opinions and precedents associated with judicial review.

Reading and finding statues are a key part of any legal action, as nearly every legal suit or motion requires the authority associated with referencing the primary source upon which it is based, which are often statues (though they could be administrative laws, which are laws enacted by empowered government agencies). where to look.

Statutes, when they are added to the laws of a particular jurisdiction, whether that level of government is municipal, state, or federal, are said to be codified, meaning they have been added to the state’s overriding “code,” or listing of laws. Municipal laws would be on file with the local city hall, state laws with the state courthouse, and so on.

Fortunately, nearly all state statutes can be found online at the state’s individual, and official government site (“.gov”), making access to these codes and statutes far easier than it used to be. Most legal databases and legal Internet portals also keep up to date listings of legal codes, therefore having access to those databases make finding them fairly easy.

The ability of certain statutes to read easily can vary. Reading statutes usually should entail a basic ability to read legal writing, and to do so analytically.

NEXT: The Secrets of the Rules of the Court