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LSDefine

Simple English definitions for legal terms

construction

Read a random definition: nolens volens

A quick definition of construction:

Construction: Construction is the process of figuring out what a law or legal document means when it's not clear. Sometimes, the words in a law or document can be confusing or have different meanings. When this happens, a court has to decide what the authors of the law or document meant. They can do this by sticking closely to the exact words used, or by trying to understand what the authors wanted to say even if they didn't say it exactly. This is important in criminal cases too, where a court might have to decide if someone broke the law or not based on how the law is written.

A more thorough explanation:

Construction is the process of understanding and interpreting a law or legal document, like a contract or will. This is necessary when the language used in the document is unclear or ambiguous, or when the intent of the authors is not clear.

For example, when a court is interpreting a law, they may use a narrow construction, which means they stick closely to the literal meaning of the words used in the law. Or they may use a broad construction, which means they interpret the law more broadly, in a way that is consistent with what they believe the authors intended.

In criminal law, a court may use the rule of lenity, which means that if a criminal law is unclear or ambiguous, it should be interpreted in favor of the defendant.

For instance, in the case of Muscarello v. United States, the Supreme Court had to interpret the phrase "carries a firearm." The court could have used a narrow construction, which would have meant that the phrase only applied to people who physically carried a firearm. But instead, they used a broad construction, which meant that the phrase could also apply to people who had a firearm within reach, like in the glove compartment of a car.

constitutional tort | construction lien

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goofy-goober
15:36
I just wanna see my results man, waiting is so painful :~(
any word on scalia or any school lol
oakenrays
15:52
scalia is dead fortunately
oakenrays
15:52
law schools are coming out slowly but surely
HopefullyInLawSchool
16:03
@UnderRepresentedTryhard: Yes only for YM applicants tho
RoaldDahl
16:05
dodged the mich r wave what does this mean
HopefullyInLawSchool
16:06
it means you will not be rejected today and may be accepted or WL in the future
Just got my Michigan rejection
BookwormBroker
16:10
same
RoaldDahl
16:10
@HopefullyInLawSchool: what if i already got rejected. does it mean anything
HopefullyInLawSchool
16:12
@RoaldDahl: Likely not however it could mean nothing
RoaldDahl
16:15
So if it means nothing does that mean something?
HopefullyInLawSchool
16:17
Possibly
RoaldDahl
16:26
Cool
RoaldDahl
16:26
thank you!!!! i hope it means something
pinkandblue
16:31
fart
IrishDinosaur
16:36
Mich R gang lesgooo
Did anyone else get that random get to know nova email?
HopefullyInLawSchool
17:21
Ya it was sent to all YM applicants
starfishies
17:37
Anyone get the NDLS email inviting you to apply for something even though they haven’t made a decision on your app yet
17:38
Better yet I got the email and I was rejected last month
starfishies
17:38
Wtf
starfishies
17:39
and the deadline is in like a week what is this
any cardozo movement?
BatmanBeyond
18:01
Sent a LOCI via portal, but I'm wondering if email would have gotten me a swifter response
BatmanBeyond
18:02
This whole hold/wait-list/reserve system is a headache
loci already?
BatmanBeyond
18:09
If the odds are like 1-2% I don't think it matters much by the numbers
12:11
I got the same NDLS email
OrangeThing
12:18
I think the user profiles are broken
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