Difference Between Law and Statute

Law vs Statute

“Law” and “statute” both refer to certain laws that have been made and implemented in a society for some kind of discipline, rules, and regulations to be followed by a community or society or nation as a whole. “Law” and “statute” are different from each other as a law refers to some common rules made and followed by the society for a long time which are still being followed. These are not necessarily written whereas a statute refers to laws which have been passed as bills by the legislature of a country or have been written down and are consulted for use.

Law
“Law” can be defined as the body of principles and rules governing the affairs or behavior of society or a community. In the United States, the law appears in the U.S. Code. A law stays and keeps appearing in the U.S. Code till that law is actively in force. The law of the United States is cumulative no matter which law came into existence at what time. Laws are guidelines and rules enforced by different institutions. There are many different laws such as:

Property law- This law deals with the ownership and transfer of personal or real property according to the asset of rules made.
Contract law- It includes rules which bind you to a contract like buying shares or simpler actions like buying tickets for the train, etc.
Trust law- These laws deal with the assets one holds for investments and the laws which are applied in financial trading or securities.
Criminal law- Criminal law is the law which deals with a person committing a crime against society and the rules which punish them.
Constitutional law- The law which gives guidelines for making new laws or maintaining the old ones, and the laws which protect human rights is called Constitutional law. It also sets guidelines for the election of politicians.
Administrative law- This law helps in reviewing the government’s decisions. These are just a few of the laws which set guidelines for the better functioning of a community. When the community being considered is not only a nation, then there are international laws too. Religious laws are very much followed and obeyed in many countries. Thus, there are many kinds of laws which might or might not be written.

Statute
“Statute” is also called statute law. It is a written law which has been decided upon by the legislature of a country or by the legislators in case there is a monarchy in the country. It is a written law thus it is different from many oral laws or customary laws where no rules are written, but certain regulations and guidelines have been followed for a long time.

Statute law originates from municipalities or the state legislature or at a higher level the national legislature. The municipal or state statute is subordinate to the national statute laws.

A statute is also called “session law,” and these two words can be used interchangeably. Statutes, unlike laws, are published in the United States Statutes at Large. These are not cumulative; each legislative session has a separate volume.

Summary:

1.Statute law is written laws originating from municipalities, states, or national legislatures; laws are written or unwritten guidelines or rules that are followed by communities.
2.Statutes are not cumulative; each legislative session has a separate volume. Laws are cumulative. They appear in the U.S. Code until that law is actively in force.
3.Statute laws are published in the United States Statutes at Large; laws appear in the U.S. Code.

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