Download Free A Commentary On The Interpretations Of Statutes Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online A Commentary On The Interpretations Of Statutes and write the review.

Statutory interpretation affects every area of law and is of growing scholarly interest given long-running debate about the coherence of statutory interpretation and the fact that the law of interpretation comprises 'frail guidelines'. This contributed work critically analyses the law in light of this debate. It examines areas where the law is coherent leading to confidence in the judiciary and the administration of the law. It also examines areas where the law is not coherent and is need of improvement.
Statutory interpretation has become the most commonly-required skill of the modern lawyer. A Dictionary of Statutory Interpretation provides a ready reference to the important terms and ideas that arise in connection with determining the meaning of legislation. Chapter 1 includes over 100 entries, including the following: ambiguity the absurdity canon linguistic and substantive canons legislative intent legislative purpose legislative history textualism Legal Realism Law and Economics Each entry includes a definition, an explanation of the relevance of the term and ideas for statutory interpretation, some history about its use, and a concise discussion of contemporary issues. The author expresses his point of view in the discussion of these issues - which is generally skeptical about textualism - but presents all sides of the debate. A "reference" section allows for further research on each subject. Chapter 2 includes over 35 famous quotations dealing with the interpretation of statutes, along with historical and critical commentary. The entries include Learned Hand, Holmes, Calabresi, Posner, Easterbrook, Pound, Blackstone, etc. The book will be useful for lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students who want an entry into the contemporary debate about how to interpret legislation, along with an insight into what is at stake in those debates. "...filled with usefully extended treatments of important and interesting legal terms." -- The Green Bag "This book will be a useful tool for readers or libraries needing a good single-volume guide to statutory interpretation. Summing up: Highly recommended." -- CHOICE "Librarians and researchers . . . should consider A Dictionary of Statutory Interpretation an essential reference work (for a very affordable price). . . . [It] will likely become a go-to resource when quick but in-depth analysis of a statutory interpretation question is sought." -- Legal Information Alert, (Volume 26, Issue #9), Alert Publications, Inc., Chicago, IL. www.alertpub.com
We are all familiar with the image of the immensely clever judge who discerns the best rule of common law for the case at hand. According to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a judge like this can maneuver through earlier cases to achieve the desired aim—“distinguishing one prior case on his left, straight-arming another one on his right, high-stepping away from another precedent about to tackle him from the rear, until (bravo!) he reaches the goal—good law." But is this common-law mindset, which is appropriate in its place, suitable also in statutory and constitutional interpretation? In a witty and trenchant essay, Justice Scalia answers this question with a resounding negative. In exploring the neglected art of statutory interpretation, Scalia urges that judges resist the temptation to use legislative intention and legislative history. In his view, it is incompatible with democratic government to allow the meaning of a statute to be determined by what the judges think the lawgivers meant rather than by what the legislature actually promulgated. Eschewing the judicial lawmaking that is the essence of common law, judges should interpret statutes and regulations by focusing on the text itself. Scalia then extends this principle to constitutional law. He proposes that we abandon the notion of an everchanging Constitution and pay attention to the Constitution's original meaning. Although not subscribing to the “strict constructionism” that would prevent applying the Constitution to modern circumstances, Scalia emphatically rejects the idea that judges can properly “smuggle” in new rights or deny old rights by using the Due Process Clause, for instance. In fact, such judicial discretion might lead to the destruction of the Bill of Rights if a majority of the judges ever wished to reach that most undesirable of goals. This essay is followed by four commentaries by Professors Gordon Wood, Laurence Tribe, Mary Ann Glendon, and Ronald Dworkin, who engage Justice Scalia’s ideas about judicial interpretation from varying standpoints. In the spirit of debate, Justice Scalia responds to these critics. Featuring a new foreword that discusses Scalia’s impact, jurisprudence, and legacy, this witty and trenchant exchange illuminates the brilliance of one of the most influential legal minds of our time.
The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and plays a central role in both the peaceful settlement of international disputes and the development of international law. This comprehensive Commentary on the Statute of the International Court of Justice, now in its second edition, analyses in detail not only the Statute of the Court itself but also the related provisions of the United Nations Charter as well as the relevant provisions of the Court's Rules of Procedure. Five years after the first edition was published, the second edition of the Commentary embraces current events before the International Court of Justice as well as before other courts and tribunals relevant for the interpretation and application of its Statute. The Commentary provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of all legal questions and issues the Court has had to address in the past and will have to address in the future. It illuminates the central issues of procedure and substance that the Court and counsel appearing before it face in their day-to-day work. In addition to commentary covering all of the articles of the Statute of the ICJ, plus the relevant articles of the Charter of the United Nations, the book includes three scene-setting chapters: Historical Introduction, General Principles of Procedural Law, and Discontinuation and Withdrawal. The second edition of the Commentary adds two important and instructive chapters on Counter-Claims and Evidentiary Issues. The combination of expert editors and commentators, and their assessment of new developments in the important work of the ICJ, make this a landmark publication in the field of international law.
This book is for instructors of Statutory Interpretation and related courses who want to introduce practical lawyering skills into the doctrinal curriculum. It is also comparatively inexpensive for students. Much like any law school case book, Statutory Interpretation: A Practical Lawyering Course covers the leading cases; but it also offers much more. For example, it includes: interpretive exercises to concretize lessons and to help students to self-assess their learning; legislative negotiation and drafting exercises to give students practical experience and a deeper understanding of the complexities of the legislative process; lawyers' briefs and case documents to help students understand how cases and arguments are put together; case files and brief-writing exercises to teach students to craft arguments based on their doctrinal studies; exercises that require students to problem-solve, prompting them to think strategically; a mix of heavily-edited, lightly-edited, and unedited cases to help students prepare to work in the real world; issues and questions for students to focus on as they read cases and other materials.
Suitable for students or practitioners, this authoritative overview of the legislative process and statutory interpretation moves smoothly and understandably between the theoretical and the practical. It contains in-depth discussion of such topics as theories of legislation and representation, electoral and legislative structures, extrinsic sources for statutory interpretation, and substantive canons of statutory interpretation. Reap the benefits of the authors' experience, opinions, and insight and gain a working knowledge of the area.