statutory law

American  

[stach-oo-tawr-ee law] / ˈstætʃ ʊˌtɔr i ˈlɔ /

noun

1. the written law established by enactments expressing the will of the legislature, as distinguished from the unwritten law or common law.

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statutory law Cultural  

1. A law or group of laws passed by a legislature or other official governing bodies. (Compare common law.)

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Etymology

Origin of statutory law

First recorded in 1875–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

statutory law

At some level, not yet precisely defined by courts, candidates for federal office are entitled to an election process that affords them fundamental fairness under the Constitution and statutory law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

In time, Parliament demanded a coequal share of the power to make statutory law while the power to interpret the law and to adjudicate individual cases was increasingly delegated to law-trained judges.

From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2025

“The whole array of statutory law and constitutional law is available.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024

Currently, those rights in California were established by statutory law and by court ruling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2022

The rights of property will constitute the subject matter of several subsequent chapters of this digest of "common and statutory law."

From The Government Class Book Designed for the Instruction of Youth in the Principles of Constitutional Government and the Rights and Duties of Citizens. by Andrew W. Young

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