Local laws or ordinances are made by counties or cities. They may be civil or criminal, depending upon how much authority the state has granted the locality. Regulations are adopted by administrative agencies of the federal, state, or local government. They detail how the statutory law will be implemented. A properly adopted regulation will have the force and effect of a law.
Case law is made by federal and state courts.
Judges will interpret the laws or regulations and apply them to individual cases. Although the different states and the federal and state court systems are separate and do not control each other, judges often consider the opinions of other courts in interpreting similar laws or regulations. Federal regulations have been enacted to detail the responsibilities of businesses, employers, schools, transportation providers, and others under those federal laws. The most frequently cited regulation is that of the Department of Justice. State laws are of two types.