LAW 638 - Statutory Interpretation

This seminar is a scholarly exploration of the modern debate about how courts should (and do) interpret statutes. The course is not designed to be a comprehensive survey of thinking about statutory interpretation. Rather, the course is designed to introduce you to, and encourage you to think critically about, several of the major theories and themes that inform the modern debate (the virtues and vices of, for example, textualism, purposivism, legislative history, and the public choice theory of legislation). It is also designed to give each student an opportunity to sharpen his or her skills of critical analysis by writing critiques (and also defending) articles addressing issues of statutory consturction. Grades will be based on the short written critiques (less than 10 pages a piece) and classroom participation.