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 Statutes may be amended (changed) or repealed (eliminated) by the legislature or Congress or declared unconstitutional (and thus unenforceable) by a court.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 North Carolina, as in other states, statutes are laws that have been enacted by the state legislature or the United States Congress. These laws encompass a broad range of legal areas and are a fundamental source of legal authority. When resolving legal disputes, North Carolina courts interpret these statutes by seeking their clear and plain meaning. If a statute is found to be ambiguous, the courts may look into legislative intent to ascertain what the legislature aimed to achieve when the law was passed. North Carolina has organized related statutes into codes, such as the North Carolina General Statutes, which include various codes like the penal code, family code, and code of civil procedure. Statutes can be modified or repealed by the legislature, and they can also be struck down by the courts if deemed unconstitutional. The process of statutory interpretation and the application of these laws are critical in the judicial resolution of cases.