Legislative Intent and Ordinary Meaning
Legislative Intent and Ordinary Meaning is an interdisciplinary initiative that brings together scholars from Law, Philosophy, Political Science and French Studies at the University of Western Ontario to investigate how laws are interpreted within legal institutions and understood by the public.
Like all language, the language of law can be ambiguous, vague or otherwise hard to understand. It often combines technical and ordinary meanings, aiming to be precise but also accessible to everyone. As a result, the intention of the legislature can be unclear. This poses problems both for judges interpreting the law and for people trying to follow it.
Our project aims to study this phenomenon from the perspectives of multiple disciplines, using both theoretical and empirical approaches. The broader goal is to connect scholars globally to explore topics at the intersection of law and language.
To learn more about the initiative, please visit our website.
Members
Co-directors
Manish Oza (Law & Philosophy)
Andy Yu (Law & Philosophy)
Team members
Jacques Lamarche (French Studies)
Ileana Paul (French Studies)
Robert Stainton (Philosophy)
Sebastián Vallejo Vera (Political Science)
Research assistants
Ross Pey (Law)
Contact
To contact us, email Andy Yu or Manish Oza.
