Statutory Interpretation Essay Example
Law Assignment Statutory Interpretation Anthony Thompson-North
Statutory interpretation is the process of interpreting and applying legislation. Some amount of interpretation is always necessary when a case involves a statute. Sometimes the words of a statute have a plain and straightforward meaning. But in most cases, there is some ambiguity or vagueness in the words of the statute that must be resolved by the judge. To find the meanings of statutes, judges use various tools and methods of statutory interpretation. Parliament passed the Interpretation Act 1978 which makes clear that unless contradiction appears "he" includes "she" and Singular includes plural, this aid helps judges with general words. Statutes also contain Interpretation sections about the types of words used in the statute; this will also help judges to better understand the act of parliament.
Statutory interpretation is needed because in Acts of Parliament the words used can be ambiguous or have an unclear meaning or have more then one meaning. Statutory Interpretation is also needed because an Act may have been badly drafted for example the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 where there was confusion over the meaning of "type" whether it meant Breed. This was a key point in the Brock v DPP case (1993), another example is when new developments arise, like in the Yorks v Saddington case (2000) the question of which section to put a "Go-Ped" for the purpose of the Road Traffic Act 1988, whether it be Motorised-Scooter or Motor Vehicle. Statutory Interpretation is also needed because over time language can change the meaning of certain words. Statutory Interpretation is very important because the interpretation of a word can lead to the justice or injustice in a case.
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Aids are also important parts of Statutory Interpretation; because they allow the judges to retrieve a better understanding of what is meant by the Act. Intrinsic
Statutory interpretation is the process of interpreting and applying legislation. Some amount of interpretation is always necessary when a case involves a statute. Sometimes the words of a statute have a plain and straightforward meaning. But in most cases, there is some ambiguity or vagueness in the words of the statute that must be resolved by the judge. To find the meanings of statutes, judges use various tools and methods of statutory interpretation. Parliament passed the Interpretation Act 1978 which makes clear that unless contradiction appears "he" includes "she" and Singular includes plural, this aid helps judges with general words. Statutes also contain Interpretation sections about the types of words used in the statute; this will also help judges to better understand the act of parliament.
Statutory interpretation is needed because in Acts of Parliament the words used can be ambiguous or have an unclear meaning or have more then one meaning. Statutory Interpretation is also needed because an Act may have been badly drafted for example the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 where there was confusion over the meaning of "type" whether it meant Breed. This was a key point in the Brock v DPP case (1993), another example is when new developments arise, like in the Yorks v Saddington case (2000) the question of which section to put a "Go-Ped" for the purpose of the Road Traffic Act 1988, whether it be Motorised-Scooter or Motor Vehicle. Statutory Interpretation is also needed because over time language can change the meaning of certain words. Statutory Interpretation is very important because the interpretation of a word can lead to the justice or injustice in a case.
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Aids are also important parts of Statutory Interpretation; because they allow the judges to retrieve a better understanding of what is meant by the Act. Intrinsic