ABSTRACT
This paper is a long version of my chapter on legal interpretation for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. A shorter and otherwise modified version will go online soon. But some readers may be interested in the full-length version. Legal interpretation involves scrutinizing legal texts such as the texts of statutes, constitutions, contracts, and wills. This chapter introduces the foundational question of what legal interpretation, by its nature, seeks – and competing answers to that question. It goes on to canvas leading substantive theories of legal interpretation and examines in greater depth a few influential theories and difficulties they encounter. Finally, the chapter considers how theories of legal interpretation should be defended and evaluated.
Greenberg, Mark, Legal Interpretation (October 16, 2019). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, forthcoming; UCLA School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No 19-40.
First posted 2019-10-18 06:32:29
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