Simple English definitions for legal terms
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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.
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.