A statute passed by an American state after Independence which provides that the common law of England be received as binding in that state, subject to repeal and local interpretation.
Origin
1930s; earliest use found in Columbia Law Review.
Definition of reception statute in US English:
reception statute
noun
US Law
A statute passed by an American state after Independence which provides that the common law of England be received as binding in that state, subject to repeal and local interpretation.