Theory and Practice of Statutory Interpretation

Frank B. Cross is the Herbert D. Kelleher Centennial Professor of Business Law at the University of Texas. He is the author of Decision Making in the U.S. Courts of Appeals (Stanford, 2007), and The Failed Promise of Originalism (Stanford, 2012), among other books.

• [table of contents] Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1The Goal of Statutory Interpretation Chapter 2Textualism and Statutory Interpretation Chapter 3Legislative History and Statutory Interpretation Chapter 4The Canons of Statutory Interpretation Chapter 5Pragmatism and Dynamic Statutory Interpretation Chapter 6The Justices and their Practice of Statutory Interpretation Chapter 7Ideology and the Practice of Statutory Interpretation Chapter 8Statutory Interpretation in the Lower Federal Courts Notes Index

"Cross's work offers genuinely new insights about statuatory interpretation and challenges established ways of thinking about this area of law. Throughout his inquiry, Cross adopts a curious, clear-eyed, and directed approach; he seeks to advance the project of "creating a coherent system" for interpreting statutes."—The Law and Politics Book Review "Cross's findings, based on careful empiricism, provide a welcome contrast with the often overwrought claims of many prolific proponents of particular interpretive methodologies. This important contribution to the field will be of value both for teaching and for research."—Richard Pierce, George Washington University "Advancing a new approach to the enduring challenge of statutory interpretation, Cross delivers a bold and provocative scholarly contribution."—Michael Heise, Cornell University