Legislative Intent

Definition

What lawmakers supposedly meant to accomplish with a law, as opposed to what it actually says. Judges invoke this constantly when the actual words are inconvenient.

Example Usage

The court examined legislative intent to understand why Congress passed such a poorly written statute.

Origin

Legal terminology dating to constitutional interpretation debates

Fun Fact

Legislative intent is almost impossible to determine because 435 representatives and 100 senators had different intentions

Source: Constitutional law terminology

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