Law Outlines Legislation and Statutory Interpretation Outlines
This law school outline is for a course on Legislative Law, which examines issues relating to the enactment, application and interpretation of legislation, primarily at the federal level. The course introduced students to the basic contours of Congressional lawmaking practice, theoretical models of the legislative process, the application and interpretation of statutes by the executive branch, and numerous aspects of judicial statutory interpretation. Students will explored and critiqued the diff...
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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."
3 1
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
3 2
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
WeaknessThejudgelooksatthelanguageandputshisownviewof...
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This law school outline is for a course on Legislative Law, which examines issues relating to the enactment, application and interpretation of legislation, primarily at the federal level. The course introduced students to the basic contours of Congressional lawmaking practice, theoretical models of the legislative process, the application and interpretation of statutes by the executive branch, and numerous aspects of judicial statutory interpretation. Students will explored and critiqued the diff...
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