Which statement correctly defines a statute?

• A. A non-legislative guideline.
• B. A written law enacted by a legislative body.
• C. A judicial ruling based on precedent.
• D. An executive order.

Answer: (B)

A statute is a written law created by a legislative body and formally enacted through the legislative process. This means it’s more than guidelines or rules; it has the authority of law because it comes from the lawmakers who represent the public, and it is typically codified in statutory codes and applicable to the general population.

Guidelines that aren’t passed by a legislature don’t have the force of law, so they aren’t statutes. Judicial rulings based on precedent are case law-shaped decisions that interpret statutes and apply legal principles to specific situations, rather than the actual statutes themselves. Executive orders are directives from the executive branch aimed at administering government operations, not broad laws enacted by the legislature.