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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IV.TheoriesofInstitutionalRelationships
1)CorrectingLegislativeMistakes
2)StareDecisisofStatutoryDecisions
3)InterpretingAgencyRegulationsinContextofStatutes
4)EvolutionofStatutes
1)CorrectingLegislativeMistakes
Typesofmistakes
1. UnintentionallycombiningrevisionsofstatutesShinev.Shine
2. Scrivener'serrors
3. Oversight
a. DidnotthinkofconsequencesU.S.v.Locke
b. LackofknowledgeU.S.v.Marshall
Cons:
Absurdityisineyeofbeholder
Federaljudiciaryisanunelectedbody
Ruleagainstsurplusage:donotwantreadingthatissobroadthatitevisceratesany
workdonebywords.
MarshallinLocke
Procedure:Roleofimaginativereconstruction
3. isthereanyrationalbasisforintentionallyinsertingwhatappearstobeanerror?
4. Arethereanyplausiblescenarioswherereasonablestatutecouldhavesomehowledtoan
error?
E.g.StevensinLocke
Thismayalsoinvolveusinglegislativehistory,e.g.Shinev.Shine.
SeePosnerinMarshall
Institutionalcompetence
CongressismoreabletointerpretthanCourts?
AgenciesaremoreabletointerpretthanCongress?
Legislativeprecedent
Ifstatutewaschanged,whatdidstatutepreviouslylooklike?
Cases
U.S.v.Locke
Statute:statuteoflimitationscertainminingrightclaimmustbemadepriortoDecember31.
Issue:IsclaimmadeonDecember31precludedbystatute?
Marshall(majority):ifmeaningisclear,legislativemistakecannotbecorrected,evenwhen
plainmeaningiswhollyillogical,istrapforunwary,andgoesagainstintentionsofdrafter.
4 0
InstitutionalcompetencegapsaretobefilledbyCongress,notbyjudiciary.
Strictreadingmaybeexplainedbysubjectmatter—deadlines—whichareinherently
arbitrary.
Stevens(dissent):thisisobviousscrivener'serror.
Imaginativereconstruction:
Thereisnorationalbasisforthislimitation
thereareanynumberofplausiblescenariosbywhichdraftingerrorcouldhave
arisenoutoforiginallyreasonablestatute
Institutionalcompetenceagenciesarebetterequippedtounderstandingmeaningof
deadline,andagency'spamphletsaysfile"onorbeforeDecember31"
Shinev.Shine(1stCir)
Facts:1972DavidShineandMargueriteShineseparatewithoutseparationagreement.
1973CourtordersDavidShinetopaymonthlymaintenanceMargueriteShine.1975Marguerite
getsdivorcedecree.SuesDavidformaintenance,buthehadalreadygonebankrupt.
Statute:BankruptcyCodeallowsnodischargeofanydebt"toaspouse,formerspouse,orchild ofthedebtor,foralimonyto,maintenancefor,orsupportofsuchspouseorchild,inconnection
withaseparationagreement,divorcedecree,orpropertysettlementagreement…."
"Dischargeable"meansthathusbanddoesnothavetopay,while"nondischargeable"
meansthathusbandstillhastopayevenifhegoesbankrupt.
Absurditycreatedbyplainmeaning:becausemaintenanceorderwasissuedbycourt
beforedivorcedecreewasissued,andthereforewasnotinconnectionwithdivorce decreeorseparationagreement,debtisdischargeable.Thisgoesagainstpurposeof
statutetoprotectdependentfamiliesofbankruptbreadwinners!
Holding:
Legislativehistoryindicatesthatvariousversionsofstatutewereamalgamated@last
minutebutwerenotharmonizedwithoneanothertoproducedesiredprovision. Legislativeprecedentuntil1978wastotreatsuchdebtsasnondischargeable.
ArgumentfrominactionbecauseCongressisdeliberativebody,ifCongresshadwanted
tomakemajorchange,aCongressmemberwouldhavesuggestedit.
Ruger:congressionalinactioncouldbesuggestedbyesotericnatureofprovision
anditsextremelyconcentratedbenefits.
BockLaundry
Stevens:FusionofHouseandSenateversionsofRuleofEvidenceinfinalversionofrule
muddledpurposeofeachone.Wemustlooktointenttorediscoverwhatruleshouldhavebeen.
2)StareDecisisinStatutoryInterpretationDecisions
Staredecisisrequiresacourttotreatpriordecisionsaspresumptivelycorrect.
ApproachestoStareDecisis
SuperStrong
NormalcourtholdsinPattersonv.McLeanUnionthatstatutoryprecedentsaresubject
tonormalstaredecisis.Academicliteratureisinfavorofthisschool.
Soft
4 1
StatutoryLawv.ConstitutionalLaw
1. CourtismoredeferentialtoitsstatutoryinterpretationprecedentsbecauseCongresscanalways
overruletheCourt'spreviousdecision.
2. TheCourtislessdeferentialwithrespecttoconstitutionalprecedent.SincetheCourtisthelast
wordonconstitutionalissues,onlyitcanoverturnaprecedent.
ReasonstoUseStareDecisis(includesLegalProcessTheorists)
Congressionalinaction(seeBrennaninJohnson):ifCongresstrulydisagreedwith
Court'sinterpretationofstatute,itwouldoverturnitvialegislationormembersof
Congresswouldproposebillstodoso.
Restsonassumptionofcongressionalcompetence:Congressisawarethat
statutewillevolveasitislitigated,andthereforehasprerogativetochangestatute
uponCourt'sinterpretation.
NOTE Constitutionalvs.statutory:thisargumentdoesnotworkfor
constitutionalstaredecisis,becauseCourtisultimateinterpreterofConstitution.
ParticularlyconvincingifconditionsoftimewouldfavorchangingCourt's
interpretation(seeBlackmuninFlood):
Floodallothersportsbecamesubjecttoantitrustlaws
CongressionalcompetenceCongressisinbetterpositionthancourtstooverrule
precedents:
Betteraccesstoinformation
MoredemocraticcanbringinvarietyofinterestedpartiestodoCongressional
hearings.
Stability/ruleoflaw(seeStevensinJohnson):
Settlingitatallismoreimportantthansettlingitright
Protectsrelianceinterest
Brightlinerulespromotejudicialeconomy
Keepsdowncostsoflegalservices
Legalprocesstheoristssupportthisidea:lawshouldbepredictable(formalism)+
shouldadapttopresentneeds(realism)butpublicinterestmayinvolverelianceon
traditionalrules.
FailedlegislativeproposalstochangeCourt'sinterpretation
InvalidatesScalia'sunawarenessandpoliticalcowardicearguments
Convincingargumentifbillsaretooextremeoneachside.
Formalism
IndicatesPurpose
Oncecourtdefinespurposeofstatuteinonecase,thatbecomesprecedential
authorityonpurposeofstatute
BabbittusesTVAtogivebroadpurposetoEndangeredSpeciesAct
Acquiescence
ReasonstoSoftenUseofStareDecisis(includesLegalRealists)
Congressionalinaction:congressionalinactionmightnotbemotivatedbyapprovalof
Court'sdecision.Alternativetheoriesforcongressionalinactioneveninfaceof
4 2
disapprovalare:
Disagreementonhowtochangestatusquo
Convincingargumentifcanshowthatdifferentfactionsareinterestedin
changingbillbutcannotcometo...
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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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