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Legal Research Centers of West Virginia |
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Statutes, Codes and Cases |
According to Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition a statute is defined as:
"A law passed by a legislative body."
Black's defines a code as:
"...a systematic collection or revision of laws, rules, or regulations."
Black's defines a case as:
"A proceeding, action, suit, or controversy at law or in equity."
Michie's West Virginia Code Annotated
contains the statutes or
laws of West Virginia passed by the West Virginia Legislature. The Code is
organized by Chapter, Article, and Section.
When you are involved as a party in a case, you can consult the West Virginia Code to look at the specific laws or statutes involved in your action or suit. On the outside spine of each Code book is the volume number, the chapters contained within each volume, and the date of the replacement volume (arrangement based on the Code of 1966). A table of contents of the chapters contained within the West Virginia Code is printed in the front of each volume.
The version of Michie's West Virginia Code Annotated located in your local library may not be updated. However, updated copies of the code are available in the law library at the county courthouse. You will be able to tell if a set of code is current by looking in the back cover of any volume. An updated code will have an addition, known as a pocket part, that is attached to the inside back cover of the volume. If the pocket part has a current date, you know that this Code set has been updated. If the Code set does not have a current pocket part, you should search the West Virginia Code, available on the Internet or simply visit the State Law Library Web Site.