Course Home Page for Legislation

Fall 2008
Law No.: LAW4601
Sched. No.: 306eb

Legislation
Section 0001
X
Nelson, Caleb

Administrative Information:

Days, Times (Room):	TWR, 0850-0950 (SL 258)
Credits:	3	Type:	Lecture
Capacity:	64^{This information is current as of}^{10/10/2008 01:58:58 AM}^
Current Enrollment:	64 ^{This information is current as of}^{10/10/2008 01:58:58 AM}^
Syllabus:	View Syllabus (requires LawWeb account)

Course Description:

Students spend much of their time thinking about the common law or other forms of “unwritten” law. In this day and age, however, much of our law comes from statutes and administrative regulations. As a result, learning how to read a statute is every bit as important as learning how to read an appellate-court opinion. This course will examine both the theory and the practice of statutory interpretation. We will consider the goals that interpreters should pursue and how those goals relate to some contemporary debates (including but not limited to debates about the relevance of legislative history). We will also become familiar with the canons of construction frequently invoked by courts. Finally, we will consider some specialized but important topics in statutory interpretation.

COURSE REQUIREMENT: Examination