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E-book
Author Popkin, William D., author.

Title Statutes in court : the history and theory of statutory interpretation / William D. Popkin
Published Durham ; London : Duke University Press, 1999
©1999

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Description 1 online resource (340 pages)
Series Book collections on Project MUSE
Contents English history -- The United States: from the Revolution to the founding -- The United States: nineteenth century -- From 1900 to the 1960s: purposive interpretation -- Giving judges as little to do as possible: the rise of modern textualism -- Giving judges something to do: Republicanism and substantive canons -- Ordinary judging
Summary Annotation How do judges determine the meaning of laws? The extent to which judges should exercise their discretion in interpreting legislation has been a contentious issue throughout American history, involving questions about the balance of power between the legislature and the judiciary. In Statutes in Court William D. Popkin provides an indispensable survey of the history of American statutory interpretation and then offers his own theory of "ordinary judging" that defines the proper scope of judicial discretion. Popkin begins by discussing the British origins of statutory interpretation in this country. He then maps the evolving conceptions of the judicial role in the United States from Revolutionary times through the twentieth century before presenting his "ordinary judging" theory--one that asks the judge to use modest judicial discretion to assist the legislature in implementing good government. Claiming that theory cannot account for everything a judge does when determining statutory meaning or writing an opinion, Popkin shows how judges who strive to be conscientious in interpreting the law are often hampered by the lack of both a framework in which to fit their approach and a well-understood common vocabulary to explain what they do. Statutes in Court fills that gap. This work will be valuable to anyone concerned about the judicial role in the interpretation of laws--from judiciary officials and law professors to legal historians and political scientists
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-331) and index
Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL
English
digitized 2010 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL
Online resource (HeinOnline, viewed February 21, 2018)
Subject Law -- United States -- Interpretation and construction -- History
Judicial discretion -- United States -- History
Law -- Interpretation and construction.
Judicial discretion.
LAW / Legal Profession
Judicial discretion
Law -- Interpretation and construction
Droit -- Interprétation -- Etats-Unis -- Histoire.
Pouvoir discrétionnaire des juges -- Etats-Unis -- Histoire.
United States
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
LC no. 98043552
ISBN 9780822398202
0822398206
0822323281
9780822323280