Statutory laws are the laws passed by the Congress or state legislature. Statutory law is often a broad statement of principle that is interpreted and applied by case law or implemented through administrative regulations .
Laws begin as ideas and then follow a long and winding road to becoming laws.
Many ideas die along the road, and many have to go back to the beginning and start again before arriving at their final destination, the United States Code . At each step along the road, documents are generated. These documents comprise the law's legislative history and are used by judges and lawyers to determine legislative intent when interpreting and applying statutes in court cases. Below is an articifically tidy sketch of the federal process with the documents produced at each step. For an in-depth explanation, see How Our Laws Are Made .