Also known as: codes · statute · codification
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A systematic collection or revision of laws, rules, or regulations arranged and officially promulgated as a complete body of positive law. A code compiles existing statutes along with relevant unwritten law into an integrated system that replaces prior disparate sources.
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Cynthia Cortez contracted to buy land from Copperfield Mining. Before closing a fire destroyed the main building. Under the applicable property code the risk had already shifted to the buyer at contract formation so Cortez remained obligated to pay the full price.
Cecilia Cabrera filed an unsigned complaint in federal court on behalf of herself. The clerk notified her of the omission. The procedural code required the court to strike the paper unless she promptly supplied the required signature and contact information.
Judge Cassandra Cooper accepted a speaking fee from a litigant appearing before her. The judicial conduct code required her to comply with all applicable law and the code itself so the acceptance violated her duty to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
Christian Coleman orally agreed to rent an apartment from Crown Pharmaceuticals for six months. The landlord tenant code permitted an oral lease when its duration did not exceed the statute of frauds period so the agreement created a valid tenancy.
Caitlin Crowley sued a state official in federal court alleging a violation of her Fourth Amendment rights. The federal jurisdictional code allowed the claim even without an express statutory cause of action because the right to relief arose directly under the Constitution.
Curtis Cannon brought a federal claim against Cardinal Insurance in district court and added closely related state claims. The supplemental jurisdiction code gave the court power over the state claims because they formed part of the same constitutional case or controversy.
A code is itself an enactment that integrates statutes with much of the unwritten law into a new complete system. A compilation simply gathers existing statutes without changing the law or repealing omitted provisions.
Supporting sources
…company any of its provisions. In an opinion delivered by Chief Justice Waite, this Court held that the chief purpose of the statute was to fix a maximum of charges and to regulate in some matters of a police nature the use of railroads in the state. After sustaining the constitutionality of the statute “in its general…