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 Statutes may be amended (changed) or repealed (eliminated) by the legislature or Congress or declared unconstitutional (and thus unenforceable) by a court.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 Alabama, as in all states, statutes are laws enacted by the state legislature, which in Alabama is the Alabama Legislature, consisting of the Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate. These statutes govern a wide array of legal areas, from criminal law to family law, and are codified in the Code of Alabama. Federal statutes, on the other hand, are laws passed by the United States Congress and apply nationwide. When courts in Alabama encounter legal disputes, they interpret and apply these statutes to the facts of the case. The primary goal of the courts is to ascertain the plain meaning of the statutory language. If a statute is deemed ambiguous, Alabama courts may look into legislative history and intent to interpret the statute's meaning. Statutes can be organized into various codes, such as the Alabama Penal Code or the Alabama Code of Civil Procedure, for easier reference and organization. The legislature has the power to amend or repeal statutes, and courts have the authority to strike down statutes as unconstitutional, rendering them unenforceable.