Statutory law is best described as

• A. Written laws enacted by Congress, state legislatures, or local governing authorities.
• B. Unwritten common law.
• C. Judicial decisions interpreting statutes.
• D. Administrative rules issued by agencies.

Answer: (A)

Statutory law is the written law created by elected lawmakers. These are the statutes enacted by Congress, state legislatures, or local governing authorities and then codified into official codes. They establish specific rules—criminal offenses, civil duties, rights, and procedures—that are set out in formal Acts or ordinances.

This distinguishes statutory law from other legal sources. Unwritten common law develops through judicial decisions and long-standing practices rather than through a formal statute. Judicial decisions interpreting statutes are cases that explain how statutes apply, but they are not the statutes themselves. Administrative rules are regulations issued by agencies to implement or detail statutes, and while they have force, they derive their authority from statutes rather than being statutes themselves.

So the best description is that statute law consists of the written laws enacted by legislative bodies at federal, state, and local levels.