Why is z-index ignored with position:static?
Because position: static means “Ignore all the positioning instructions from left, top, z-index, etc.”. ‘z-index’ Value: auto | <integer> | inherit Initial: auto Applies to: positioned elements — http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/visuren.html#z-index An element is said to be positioned if its ‘position’ property has a value other than ‘static’. — http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/visuren.html#positioned-element