Interpreting Law

Offers an accessible introduction to statutory and constitutional interpretation by the US's leading legislation scholar. This concise treatise not only identifies the primary “canons” or precepts that guide interpretation, but demonstrates how they operate and interact, as a matter of both practice and evolving aspiration.

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Interpreting Law is an accessible introduction to statutory and constitutional interpretation by the nation's leading legislation scholar. This concise treatise not only identifies the primary "canons" or precepts that guide interpretation, but demonstrates how they operate and interact, as a matter of both practice and evolving aspiration. Unlike earlier academic treatises, which rummage through a potpourri of often arcane Supreme Court decisions, Professor Eskridge's new book focuses on a statute prohibiting "vehicles" in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House. Each chapter engages the law student and the experienced practitioner to consider the application of the statute and its statutory and institutional context to a wide and often delightful array of situations. As the preface by Justice John Paul Stevens suggests, the reader will emerge from this book with a deeply enriched understanding of—and excitement about—legal interpretation.