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 Statutes may be amended (changed) or repealed (eliminated) by the legislature or Congress or declared unconstitutional (and thus unenforceable) by a court.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 Mississippi, as in other states, statutes are laws that have been enacted by the state legislature or the United States Congress. These statutes encompass a broad range of legal areas and are a fundamental source of law, often referred to as statutory law. When resolving legal disputes, Mississippi courts interpret these statutes by seeking their clear and plain meaning. If a statute is found to be ambiguous, courts may look into legislative intent to ascertain what the legislature aimed to achieve when the statute was enacted. Statutes in Mississippi, similar to other jurisdictions, are often organized into codes based on related subject matter, such as the Mississippi Code of 1972, which includes various titles like the penal code, family code, and code of civil procedure. The Mississippi Legislature has the authority to amend or repeal statutes, and courts have the power to declare statutes unconstitutional, rendering them unenforceable. It is important for individuals and attorneys in Mississippi to understand and keep up-to-date with these statutes as they are critical to legal proceedings and the administration of justice.