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 Statutes may be amended (changed) or repealed (eliminated) by the legislature or Congress or declared unconstitutional (and thus unenforceable) by a court.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 Connecticut, as in other states, statutes are laws enacted by the state legislature or by the United States Congress. These statutes encompass a broad range of legal areas and serve as a fundamental source of law, alongside case law and administrative regulations. When resolving legal disputes, Connecticut 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 history and other interpretive tools to ascertain the legislative intent behind the statute. Connecticut has organized its statutes into various codes, such as the General Statutes of Connecticut, which include titles like the Penal Code and the Family Code. These codes facilitate legal research and organization of the law. Statutes can be modified or repealed by the legislature and may also be subject to judicial review, where they can be declared unconstitutional by the judiciary if they conflict with higher legal principles.