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Simple English definitions for legal terms

statutory construction

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A quick definition of statutory construction:

Statutory construction, also known as statutory interpretation, is the process of figuring out what a law means so that a court can apply it correctly. Sometimes the words of a law are clear, but often there is some confusion that needs to be resolved by a judge. To understand a law, judges use different tools like looking at the words of the law, its history, and its purpose. If a law is still unclear, judges can interpret it themselves. There are rules that judges follow to make sure they interpret laws correctly, like making sure a law is consistent and that exceptions are clear. In the United States, there are two main ways judges interpret laws, but both use the same tools.

A more thorough explanation:

Statutory construction, also known as statutory interpretation, is the process of determining the meaning of a particular law or statute so that a court can apply it accurately. This process is necessary because sometimes the words of a statute may have multiple meanings or be unclear, and judges need to determine the original intent of the legislature.

For example, if a statute says that "no vehicles are allowed in the park," a judge may need to determine whether bicycles or skateboards are considered vehicles and therefore prohibited in the park.

To determine the meaning of a statute, judges use various tools of statutory interpretation, including:

Statutory construction begins with looking at the plain language of the statute to determine its original intent. If the meaning of the statute remains unclear, courts attempt to ascertain the intent of the legislature by looking at legislative history and other related sources. Courts generally avoid any interpretation that would create an absurd result that the legislature did not intend.

For example, if a statute says that "all dogs must be on a leash," a court may look at the legislative history to determine whether the legislature intended for this rule to apply to service dogs or other types of working dogs.

Because legislators may intend different things when they vote for a bill, statutory construction is often difficult. Statutes are sometimes ambiguous enough to support more than one interpretation. In these cases, courts are free to interpret statutes themselves.

Once a court interprets the statute, other courts usually will not go through the exercise again, but rather will enforce the statute as interpreted by the other court, similar to stare decisis.

Overall, statutory construction is an important process that helps ensure that laws are applied fairly and accurately.

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@RasheedWallaceFan: your gpa is above all medians, so apply broadly
Okay thank you for the input, the other thing im struggling with is just making a school list in general. I am insecure so im like do i have to apply to 5 low ranked schools just in case? I guess I am trying to figure out where the "safety" cutoff is and my list right now is 25 schools so idk if thats too much
@RasheedWallaceFan: 25 is on the high end, but you should apply to however many you feel comfortable with. imo, a safety is anywhere you are well above both medians. you can look at my school list for inspo if you'd like
you shouldn't apply to anywhere you wouldn't realistically go if it was your only offer
for sure, thank you a lot. Have fun at michigan that will be awesome!
NosyBeagle
17:13
it is 4pm here so it's time for nyt sudoku (I'm not good at sudoku either)
omg i just did the wordle and mini
NosyBeagle
17:14
love nyt games
SAMEEEEE
NosyBeagle
17:14
i do them in between studying to keep sane
@RasheedWallaceFan: take your list and research the city, campus, tuition, bar passage, employment by sector, etc.!!! it might help you narrow down your school choices
also don't pay much attention to the people on reddit. there's genuinely good advice but there's a ton of people who are just energy vampires (average reddit user)
@NosyBeagle: that is so real
me playing a mobile game after a 7sage section
NosyBeagle
17:26
i have or im gonna get the lsat blues
NosyBeagle
17:26
lol
17:30
I already have the LSAT blues... not as much as I am going to have between June 7 and June 25 though :P
17:31
The real reason why lawyers are alchoholics... Because there is so much of a wait time between tests and scores.
NosyBeagle
17:48
i already became one in undergrad so ill fit right in
Are the 7sage app requirements as far as essays go accurate? I would love to spend my summer preparing my applications but I dont want to waste time writing essays that wont be there. Is there a way to know what will be on the apps, or when those apps will be available to view? Or should I just focus on my PS and DS for now?
@RasheedWallaceFan: they were accurate for me, but school requirements change year to year and there's no way for anyone to know for sure
NosyBeagle
18:22
how far can i get if I type "please" on a word doc 500 times
okay sabrina carpenter
NosyBeagle
18:32
lmao
NosyBeagle
18:37
oh yeah my shift is almost over im gonna go to sleep immdiately
@RasheedWallaceFan: refer to school website, of course
@windyMagician: swagjacker
22:27
yall ever wish you were an all powerful dictator
22:27
i think id be a good dictator
22:27
whip this place into shape
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