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Simple English definitions for legal terms

statutory construction

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A quick definition of statutory construction:

Statutory construction, also known as statutory interpretation, is the process of figuring out what a law means so that a court can apply it correctly. Sometimes the words of a law are clear, but often there is some confusion that needs to be resolved by a judge. To understand a law, judges use different tools like looking at the words of the law, its history, and its purpose. If a law is still unclear, judges can interpret it themselves. There are rules that judges follow to make sure they interpret laws correctly, like making sure a law is consistent and that exceptions are clear. In the United States, there are two main ways judges interpret laws, but both use the same tools.

A more thorough explanation:

Statutory construction, also known as statutory interpretation, is the process of determining the meaning of a particular law or statute so that a court can apply it accurately. This process is necessary because sometimes the words of a statute may have multiple meanings or be unclear, and judges need to determine the original intent of the legislature.

For example, if a statute says that "no vehicles are allowed in the park," a judge may need to determine whether bicycles or skateboards are considered vehicles and therefore prohibited in the park.

To determine the meaning of a statute, judges use various tools of statutory interpretation, including:

Statutory construction begins with looking at the plain language of the statute to determine its original intent. If the meaning of the statute remains unclear, courts attempt to ascertain the intent of the legislature by looking at legislative history and other related sources. Courts generally avoid any interpretation that would create an absurd result that the legislature did not intend.

For example, if a statute says that "all dogs must be on a leash," a court may look at the legislative history to determine whether the legislature intended for this rule to apply to service dogs or other types of working dogs.

Because legislators may intend different things when they vote for a bill, statutory construction is often difficult. Statutes are sometimes ambiguous enough to support more than one interpretation. In these cases, courts are free to interpret statutes themselves.

Once a court interprets the statute, other courts usually will not go through the exercise again, but rather will enforce the statute as interpreted by the other court, similar to stare decisis.

Overall, statutory construction is an important process that helps ensure that laws are applied fairly and accurately.

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Quillinit
11:57
ah you filed retro W's from classes in UG?
Quillinit
11:58
ah okay, sorry homie that's rough
it's fine i got into one of my top choices so im really happy
Quillinit
11:58
<3 happy for you
getting into cornell is hugeee
ayyyyy
Quillinit
11:59
^^^^^ would love to get into Cornell lmao
Quillinit
11:59
or anywhere!
you got it, believeeee
12:06
@letsseehowitgoesnow: you okay?
12:08
@ KnowledgeableRitzyWasp did u withdraw frm all your classes for two years or just a few? i have 2 W's
12:23
listening to the front bottoms at the gym again ist es over fur mich?
My wife and I saw TFB with manchester orchestra the night before thanksgiving a few years back and it was pretty damn choice
shaquilleoatmeal
12:27
yoo lets dawg what happened, you good?
12:28
breakup
12:28
happens to the best of us
12:28
@UnsuitableMaliciousHedgehog: that’s so fucking sick
rough night and morning with ex :/. we broke up but we live together
shaquilleoatmeal
12:29
damn ;/ it is break up season dawg, i'm sorry you're going through that
12:29
it really is breakup season
shaquilleoatmeal
12:29
i lived with my ex for 3 months after we broke up and it was brutal. If you can move out quicker rather than later
thanks shaq! i just needed some input from people who are looking from the outside in
im gonna pack up my stuff and leave for a few days when i get off work
12:31
sometimes I think about things my ex said and did to me and a year later it still makes me so sad that I ever let myself be treated that way
shaquilleoatmeal
12:32
yee bud clear your head how you need, shit sometimes even just driving with no destination and some sad ass music can get you through this
shaquilleoatmeal
12:32
you grow through what you go through bunny, you know for the next relationship what you deserve
I want to run you guys through a scenario to see what yall think. Go to off topic for the one time lol
12:34
gotchu
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