Statute





A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and
enacted by its legislative authority, ratified by the highest executive in
the government and published. Sometimes informally referred to as "black
letter law."

The term statute is sometimes also used to refer to an international treaty
that establishes a Court, for example the Statute of the International Court
of Justice and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The
term statute is also sometimes used to refer to international agreements
establishing institutions other than courts or tribunals, such as the
Statute of the European Central Bank (a protocol to the Treaty of Maastricht).