Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2010
Abstract
While the extent to which Congress ought to be involved in interpreting the Constitution has been the subject of scholarly debate in recent years, the question of how Congress should interpret the document has been overlooked. This paper examines the justifications underlying several schools of originalist thought to tease out what these schools have to say about congressional constitutional interpretation. When the major originalist theories are scrutinized, the logical conclusion is that Congress ought to be originalist when engaging in constitutional interpretation. The paper thus breaks new ground in pointing out this radical implication of originalist thought, but its novel exploration of congressional interpretive methods makes it highly relevant to nonoriginalist scholars as well.
Recommended Citation
Joel Alicea, Originalism and the Legislature, 56 LOY. L. REV. 513 (2010).