Conducting the Constitution: Justice Scalia, Textualism, and the Eroica Symphony

25 Pages Posted: 8 Aug 2006

See all articles by Ian Gallacher

Ian Gallacher

Syracuse University - College of Law

Date Written: August 6, 2006

Abstract

This article examines the three principle Constitutional interpretative approaches and compares them to similar interpretative doctrines used by musicians. In particular, it examines the theoretical underpinnings of Justice Scalia's "textualist" philosophy by trying to predict what results would obtain from application of that philosophy to a performance of the first movement of Beethoven's "Eroica" symphony.

The article does not declare the foundation of a new genre of legal hermeneutics, nor does it seek to announce a comprehensive interpretative framework that can solve problems of Constitutional or statutory interpretation. Rather, the article explores some fundamental principles of legal textual interpretation while, at the same time, avoiding the aggressive rhetoric and contentious social issues that can obscure the debate over textualism, the viability of a "Living Constitution" and the use of extra-textual information to aid in determining textual meaning.

Keywords: Constitution, hermeneutics, interpretation

JEL Classification: K19, K39, K40

Suggested Citation

Gallacher, Ian, Conducting the Constitution: Justice Scalia, Textualism, and the Eroica Symphony (August 6, 2006). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=922719 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.922719

Ian Gallacher (Contact Author)

Syracuse University - College of Law ( email )

Syracuse, NY 13244-1030
United States

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