The executive branch
enforcement
Making people comply with a law: investigations, penalties, lawsuits, and prosecutions. Deciding what to enforce is itself a policy decision.
In full
Agencies and prosecutors cannot pursue everything, so they set priorities, and a shift in those priorities changes what the law means in practice without any change in the law. Enforcement discretion is broadly unreviewable in court, which is why it is such a powerful and such a contested instrument of executive policy.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.