Statutory Interpretation
SLN #: 27210Course Prefix: LAW-691
Course Section: 1017
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor(s): Green
Course Books: View List of Books
Course Description:
This course is about the tools that judges in our tradition use to interpret written sources of law, like statutes and regulations. What are those tools? Why do judges use them? And how do they work in concrete cases? Alongside these basic questions, we’ll consider (1) debates about the relationship between the statute’s text, it’s context of enactment, and the apparent purposes or intentions of its authors; (2) the “grammatical canons of construction,” and the so-called “substantive canons”; (3) the role of legislative history; (4) how federal statutes interact with one another, and with prior judicial precedents construing them; (5) the circumstances in which a federal court may (or must) defer to an administrative agency’s interpretation of a statute; and (6) when federal statutes preempt state law.
Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Letter Grade Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Final Exam Given: Yes
Final Exam Type: In-Class - Completely Secure
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
Teaching Method: In Person
* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.