textualist
Words-as-written adherent
A textualist interprets legal documents, especially constitutions and statutes, based primarily on the ordinary meaning of the text rather than on legislative intent, historical context, or desired outcomes.
The approach insists that judges should apply what the law says, not what legislators might have meant or what seems like good policy.
Textualism is closely associated with conservative legal philosophy in the United States, particularly with the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The textualist on the panel argued that the statute's plain language controlled the outcome.
Interpreting by founding-era meaning
- statutoryEstablished by enacted law
- jurisprudencePhilosophy governing legal systems
- formalismPrivileging structure over substance
- constitutionalityAccordance with founding charter
Scalia · literalist · legalism · canon · codification · positivism · precedent · bench
Study of historical texts
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- lexicographyCompiling word reference books
- etymologyWord origin study
morphology · pragmatics · semiotics · grammar · discourse · signifier · signified · polysemy
Scholar of language history
- lexicographerDictionary author
- etymologistWord origin scholar
- linguistExpert in languages
- commentatorBroadcast analyst or narrator
editor · exegete · critic · annotator · interpreter · analyst · redactor · bibliographer
Critical textual interpretation
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- literalismExact meaning only
- verbatimIn identical wording
- word-for-wordExactly as stated
fidelity · exactness · precision · contextualism · denotation · adherence · faithfulness · letter
originalism
Interpreting by founding-era meaning
- statutoryEstablished by enacted law
- jurisprudencePhilosophy governing legal systems
- formalismPrivileging structure over substance
Scalia · constitutionality · literalist · legalism · canon · codification · positivism · precedent · bench · jurist
philology
Study of historical texts
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- lexicographyCompiling word reference books
etymology · morphology · pragmatics · semiotics · grammar · discourse · signifier · signified · polysemy · connotation
philologist
Scholar of language history
- lexicographerDictionary author
- etymologistWord origin scholar
- linguistExpert in languages
commentator · editor · exegete · critic · annotator · interpreter · analyst · redactor · bibliographer · scribe
exegesis
Critical textual interpretation
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- literalismExact meaning only
- verbatimIn identical wording
word-for-word · fidelity · exactness · precision · contextualism · denotation · adherence · faithfulness · letter · directness
- scholarsscholar, professors, professor, researcher, researchers
- literary scholarsscholar, critic, literary critics, professor, philologists
- legal interpretationoriginalism, plain meaning, historical interpretation, literal interpretation, narrow interpretation
- Judicial Appointmentsjudicial nominee, nomination, nominee, confirmation hearing, confirmation vote