#11486 - Textualism - Legislation and Statutory Interpretation

Textualism

Variationsoftextualism

1.Notallareconservative

2.Temporalspectrum:Presenttense/Holmesiantextualismvs.originaltextualism

unclearwhetherScaliaisoriginalistorHolmesian

3."Exclusiveness"spectrum:Hard/newtextualismvs.softtextualism

hard:nolegislativehistorywillbeconsidered

soft/oldtextualism:startwtext,seeifit'sclear,checkworkwithlegislative

history+othervalues Burger,Rehnquist(seeWeberdissent)

NOTE:thisisopposedtoHartandSacks(legalprocess)startw

legislativehistory+values,thencheckworkagainsttext

4.Toleranceforabsurdityspectrum:Easterbrookvs.Scalia

1.EasterbrookNoabsurdityexception:whoistosaywhatisabsurd?(see

majorityinMarshall)

2.ScaliaAbsurdityexception:seeScaliadissentinBockLaundry

softtextualistsalwaysrecognizeabsurdityexception

5.FormsofmeaningspectrumStrictvs.nonstricttextualism

1.Stricttextualism:"stingy"meaningsonly

2.Nonstricttextualism:variousformsofplainmeaning(scientific,

dictionary,plain)willbelookedat

6.Centraltotextualismisbeliefthatlegislativeintentcanbegleanedfromtextalone.

NewTextualismisatermtodescribeapproachesofScaliaandEasterbrookthat

beganin1970s.

Temporal:bothoriginalistandpresenttense

Toleranceforabsurdityexception:either

Formsofmeaning:nonstrict

Exclusiveness:veryhard.However,originalistswilladmitcommitteereports

nottorevealintentoflegislators,butrathertorevealassumptionsauthors

entertainedabouthowtheirwordswouldbeunderstoodortorevealthatterms

withdenotationcleartooutsideareactuallytermsofart

TEMPORAL:PresentTense/HolmesianTextualism

Presenttensetextualism(textualismwithdynamicstreak):Meaningoftermsinstatute

isordinaryandcurrentmeaning,i.e.meaningofdaywheninterpreting(antioriginalist).

Ifstatutorymeaningisplain,onecannotuselegislativehistory.Ifstatutorymeaningis

ambiguous,legislativehistoryisfairgame.

Caminettiv.U.S.(1917)

Statute:Criminalizedtransportationof/inducementtotravelof"anywomanor

girltogofromoneplacetoanotherininterstateorforeigncommerce,orinany

territoryortheDistrictofColumbia,forthepurposeofprostitutionor

debauchery,orforanyotherimmoralpurpose."

Facts:DwasconvictedforbringingwomanfromCaliforniatoNevadato

"becomehismistress+concubine."

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Majority(HolmesianTextualism):usingplainmeaningrule,Discoveredby

thisstatutebecausebringingwomanacrossstatelinetobecomeconcubineis"for

animmoralpurpose."

Ruger:

Dynamicism:today,"immoral"mightbedefineddifferently,and

outcomemightbedifferent

Canons:"orforanimmoralpurpose"isvaguecatchallthatderives

meaningfrompreviouswordsinlistandpresumablyisintendedto

refertosimilaractivities

Doesnotconsult:legislativepurpose(prevent"commercializedvice"),

titleofstatute("WhiteSlaveTrafficAct")

Dissent(purposivist):Term"immoralpurposes"instatuteshouldbeinlight

ofwordsprecedingitandintermsoflegislativepurpose

EXCLUSIVENESS:SoftTextualism

Textisthebestevidenceoflegislativeintent,BUT

Legislativehistoryisallowedasacheckontext

Absurdresultexceptionisallowed

Cases

TVAv.Hill

STATUTETextofEndangeredSpeciesAct:Federalagenciesmust"insurethatactions

authorized,funded,orcarriedoutbythemdonotjeopardizethecontinuedexistence"ofan endangeredspeciesor"resultinthedestructionormodificationofhabitatofsuchspecies"

(emphasisaddedbyCourt)

1967 Damconstructionbegins

1973 EndangeredSpeciesAct

1974 snaildarter'shabitatflooded;anotherappropriationsbillfordam,damonly1

yearawayfromtermination

BURGER(MAJORITY)SoftTextualism

1)LooksattextfirstThereisnoreasonablenessexceptionintext,thusall

endangeredspeciesareprotectedunexceptionally.

exclusiounium(especiallyappliestoexceptionclauses:ifexceptionisnot

intext,it'sexcluded

2)Thenlooksatlegislativehistory

1967acthadreasonablenessexception

1973actremovedreasonablenessexception—CJBurger:thisimpliesstrong

proenvironmentalistpolicy

presumptionofmeaningfulvariation

POWELL(DISSENT)Pragmatism

Congresshasmadestatutoryexceptionfordamconstruction

Congresscontinuedtopassappropriationsbillfordamconstructionevenafter

passageofEndangeredSpeciesAct

Subsequentstatutestrumppreviousstatutes

Critique:budgetarystatutesdonotsayanythingaboutlawofconservation

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andendangeredspecies

IfviolationofESAwerefound,itwouldleadtowidespreadfinancialruinand

lossofjobs

POSTSCRIPTCongresspasseslawallowingdamconstructiontogoforward;exampleof

publicchoicetheoryinaction,b/cTVA/unionswereabletosuccessfullylobbyCongress (concentratedbenefits/distributedcost);ifcasehadgonetheotherway,environmentalists

wouldn'thavebeenassuccessfullobbyingCongress

WeberDissent

Rehnquist(softtextualism):

Textualistarguments

PlainmeaningdictionarydefinitionMeaningof"discriminate":"to

differentiateamonggroups;tosingleoutanygroup,notjustlesserpowered

one."

Statutorycontext703(a)/(d):Protectsblacks&whitesfromdiscrimination

("anyindividualforhisrace")

Legislativehistory:

Looks@dealsandcolloquysonSenatefloor

Humphrey:TitleVIIdoesnotpermitanddoesnotrequireuseofracialquotas

anddiscrimination

3)TheNewTextualism

Notdominantinterpretation,butbecauseofNewTextualism,everyonenowlooks@text

ProsofNewTextualism(espousedbyScalia):

1.Formallegitimacy

1)Onlytextwasenactedthroughconstitutionallyrequiredprocess

constitutiononlyspecifies2waystomakelaw-ArtI§7:H+S+P,orH+S+V+2/3

override.Thisstrongimpliesseparationofpowers

2)Separationofpowersiflawisvagueordefective,itisCongress'sjobtofixit

3)DemocraticlegitimacyjudgesshouldfollowrulessetbyCongressb/citrepresentsthe

people'swill

Scalia:Law,notintentoflegislator,iswhatgoverns.EvenanopinionpollofCongress

wouldnotprovideformallylegitimateinterpretationoflaw.

WeaknessofthisclaimPublicChoiceTheoryCritique:SpecialInterestLegislationis

notinthepeople'sinterestorsupportedbydemocraticwill.Judgescanbeacheckon

specialinterestpolitics.

2.Greaterobjectivity+judicialrestraint

Eliminatescherrypickingaspectofintentionalist+purposivistanalyses

Strengthsandweaknessesofthisclaim:

Strengthlegislativehistoryisindeterminateandsubjective,andRugerthinksthat

legislativeintentislessobjectivethantextualism

WeaknessThejudgelooksatthelanguageandputshisownviewofwhatan

ordinarypersonwouldthinkitmeansonit.

3.Greaternoticetopopulace,sothatordinarypeopleknowlaw

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WeaknessofthisclaimIfJudgesstilllooktootherstatutewithinthecodeformeaning,

theinterpretiveprocesscanbeasconfusingasthatinvolvedwithLegalProcessor

Intentionalism

4.Increasedpredictability

5.Efficiencyandlowercostsforbothcourtsandlitigants(relatedto3)

Moreegalitarianbecauseiteliminatesneedforexpensivelegalservicesthatresearch

legislativehistory

WeaknessofthisclaimOnestillneedstoaddressotherinterpretivetheoriesb/cmany

judgesareeclectic,nottextualists.Textualismhasfailedinthatamajorityofjudgesare

nottextualist;theprojecthasfailedtoconverttheSupremeCourt.

6.Legislativeintentitselfisamyth

Committeestructureobfuscatesanycollectiveintent

Legislativehistoryisoftencontrivedwithviewthatjudgeswillreadit

Thereisnosuchthingascollectiveopinion

7.ProvidesincentivestoCongresstobemoreaccountablefortextofstatute+towriteclearer

statutes

Weaknessesofthisclaim:

Often,thelegislaturecannotproducemorespecificlanguagebecauseof

PublicChoiceproblemsandreelectionconcerns.

Congressmaynotcareaboutcourtcasesanyway.

Wemightgetworsestatutesthatarelongerandnarrower

ConsofNewTextualism:

1.Plainmeaningisnotnecessarilyobjectivebecausewordsareambiguous

Ambiguousdefinitions

Weberwhatdoes"discriminate"mean?

Todiscriminateagainst

Tochooseoneovertheother

Approachestoambiguousdefinitions:

Old/Holmesiantextualismlook1sttotext,butifambiguous,consultlegislative

history

2.Somestatutoryandconstitutionalprovisionsareintentionallyvagueandinevitablyrequire

nontextualistanalysis

3.CourtsshouldbefaithfultoeffectuateCongressionalpurpose;attackfrompurposivist

assumptionthatlegislatorswereattemptingtosolveasocialproblem,andweshouldtakeintoaccttheirintent.It

isavaluejudgmentthattexthasmorelegitimacythanpurpose.

4.Contextmattersinsofaraswordshavedifferentmeaningsindifferentcontexts

Ginsburgontwodifferentmeaningsof"use":"Iuseaguntoprotectmyself,butI've

neverhadtouseit."

RUGERQUESTION:Howiscontextacritiqueoftextualism?Couldn'tcontextual

argumentsbeconsistentwithtextualism?

5.Lawmakingprocessisnotnecessarilyrationalandcoherentbecause1)manyactors2)

consolidationofmultipledrafts3)fullofcompromisesandresponsestovetogates.Textdoesnot

representwhatCongressthoughtitwasenacting. 6.Toughlovetextualismcanbeveryinequitable

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RejectionofWeberstyleinvocationofHolyTrinity

Negative+positiveclaims

Negative:Wecannottellwhattextmeans.Evenifwecouldtellwhattext

means,itwouldbeundemocratictonotlook@text.

Positive:Wehavetorestrainjudicialdiscretion.Democraticbcmore

accessibletoordinarymeaning.

Assumptions

1)Textisrational legislatureis"ideallegislature"thatdoesthingsinrationalway

2)Textconformstoconstitutionandconstitutionalnorms

3)Textisclearandparsimoniouslydrafted(ruleagainstsurplusage,expressiounius,

grammarrules,provisosnarrow,wholeact)

4)Precisionandcalibration(ejusdemgeneris,nosciturasociis,wholeactrule)

BasicTenetsofNewTextualism

EasterbrookinInReSinclairdisclaimsunadornedplainmeaningapproach

Languageisnotdivorcedfromcontext—includingstructural,functional,social,and

historicalcontext.

"Legislationspeaksacrossthedecades,duringwhichlegalinstitutionsandlinguistic

conventionschange.Todecodewordsonemustfrequentlyreconstructlegalandpolitical

cultureofdrafters."

Thus,textualismdoeslookoutsidestatutorytextat:

Canons(Chisom,dissenting)(Hewafflesonthis,alsosaysthey"increase

unpredictability/arbitrarinessofjudicialdecisions)

Dictionaries(esp.contemporarywithstatute)

Chisomdissent:dictionarymeaningof"representatives"doesnotinclude

judges

Otherpartsof...