Supertext and Consistent Meaning

Johnson, Steve R.

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Supertext and Consistent Meaning

State Tax Notes, Vol. 52, 2009

11 Pages Posted: 30 May 2009 Last revised: 24 Jun 2009

See all articles by Steve R. Johnson

Steve R. Johnson

Florida State University - College of Law

There are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

INTERPRETATION MATTERS COLUMN:

Opponents of textualism as an approach to statutory interpretation sometimes deride it as myopic. The textualist, such opponents contend, puts on blinders, narrowing the perhaps vast panorama of possible perspectives on meaning to a narrow slice of the whole.

This article discusses literalism and textualism. In contemporary textualism, context is crucial.

This technique of reading statutes together is often called super text. Super text and the related consistent meaning canon are the subjects of this installment of Interpretation Matters.

Keywords: statutory interpretation, supertext, consistent meaning

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Johnson, Steve R., Supertext and Consistent Meaning (2009). State Tax Notes, Vol. 52, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1411773