Interpreting law : a primer on how to read statutes and the Constitution
William N. Eskridge (Author), John Paul Stevens
""Interpreting Law" is an accessible introduction to statutory and constitutional interpretation by the nation's leading legislation scholar. This concise treatise not only identifies the primary "canons" or precepts that guide interpretation, but demonstrates how they operate and interact, as a matter of both practice and evolving aspiration. Unlike earlier academic treatises, which rummage through a potpourri of often arcane Supreme Court decisions, Professor Eskridge's new book focuses on a statute prohibiting "vehicles" in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House. Each chapter engages the law student and the experienced practitioner to consider the application of the statute and its statutory and institutional context to a wide and often delightful array of situations. As the preface by Justice John Paul Stevens suggests, the reader will emerge from this book with a deeply enriched understanding of-and excitement about-legal interpretation." --publisher's description
Print Book, English, 2016
Foundation Press, St Paul, MN, 2016
xiii, 470 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
9781634599122, 1634599128
950957795
Introduction : canons and norms in statutory interpretation
Ordinary meaning
Whole act, statutory purpose, and whole code
Statutory precedents
Legislative history
Agency interpretation and regulatory history
Constitutional principles and background norms
Conclusion : canons and norms in Constitutional interpretation
Appendix : the Supreme Courts canons of statutory interpretation (1986-2016)