Localist Statutory Interpretation
41 Pages Posted: 11 Oct 2012 Last revised: 22 Mar 2013
Date Written: October 10, 2012
Abstract
This paper argues for more attention to citizens’ point of contact with our legal system within local courts – and makes an effort to conceptualize local judges as parts of local governments. Once the paper highlights the role of local courts within the constellation of local government, it offers an argument for why certain forms of "localist judging" are appropriate postures for local judges to take when confronted with hard cases of statutory interpretation. The paper explores the virtues of a type of "intrastate judicial federalism."
Keywords: localism, statutory interpretation, local courts, federalism
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