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{{Short description|Latin idiom}}
{{unreferenced|date=November 2013}}
'''''Lex scripta''''' (plural: '''''leges scriptae''''') is a [[Latin]] expression that means "written or [[statutory law]]". It is in contrast to ''[[lex non scripta]]'', customary or [[common law]].  The term originates from the [[Roman law|Roman legal]] tradition. [[Emperor Justinian]] divided the ''lex scripta'' into several categories:{{cn|date=February 2025}}
*Statutes (laws passed by the senate)
*Plebiscita (laws passed by the [[plebeian council]])
*[[Senatus consultum|Senatorial decree]]s
*Decisions of the Emperors
*Orders of the [[Roman magistrate|magistrates]]
*Answers of [[jurisconsult]]s

''Lex scripta'' has a lasting effect that can define a legal tradition for a culture such as that found in the ''[[Corpus Juris Civilis]]'', [[Magna Carta]], [[Tang Code]], or a country's [[constitution]].

==See also==
*[[List of Latin phrases]]
[[Category:Latin legal terminology]]
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