The word statute typically refers to a law, e.g., The Patriot Act, passed by a state legislature or the U.S. Congress that commands, prohibits, or declares something. It is sometimes called legislation. State and federal court cases often involve statutory interpretation, and enactment of a statute may well reverse an established case law precedent. Nevertheless, it is easy to overlook the importance of statutes in law school because most law school discussions focus on case law. The tools and techniques used to research statutes are similar to those used to research federal and state constitutions, treaties, administrative rules, executive orders, uniform laws, local charters and ordinances, and court rules. Statutory research may thus mean finding and analyzing any of these documents.