Answering a Defense of Textualism—and of the Skyrocketing Use of Dictionaries in the Michigan Supreme Court

39 Thomas M. Cooley Law Review 1 (2024)

10 Pages Posted: 20 May 2024

Date Written: May 6, 2024

Abstract

In a 2023 Michigan Supreme Court case, a dissenting justice offered a defense of textualism and of the Court’s strikingly heavy reliance on dictionaries in deciding cases. The majority had cited my earlier article in the Wayne Law Review with supporting data. See https://ssrn.com/author=624332.
This article responds to the justice’s argument point by point.

Keywords: textualism, dictionaries, judicial interpretation, plain meaning, ordinary meaning, canons, Michigan Supreme Court, ideology

Suggested Citation

Kimble, Joseph, Answering a Defense of Textualism—and of the Skyrocketing Use of Dictionaries in the Michigan Supreme Court (May 6, 2024). 39 Thomas M. Cooley Law Review 1 (2024), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4818568

Joseph Kimble (Contact Author)

Cooley Law School ( email )

300 S. Capitol Avenue
P.O. Box 13038
Lansing, MI 48901
United States

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