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 Statutes may be amended (changed) or repealed (eliminated) by the legislature or Congress or declared unconstitutional (and thus unenforceable) by a court.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 New Mexico (NM), 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 subjects and are a fundamental source of legal authority. When resolving disputes, NM 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 lawmakers aimed to achieve when they passed the law. Statutes in NM are organized into various codes, such as the penal code for criminal laws, the family code for family law matters, and the code of civil procedure for rules governing civil court proceedings. The New Mexico legislature has the power to modify or repeal statutes, and courts have the authority to strike down statutes as unconstitutional, rendering them unenforceable. It's important to note that while federal laws apply nationwide, state statutes like those in NM apply only within the state's borders.