The Nature of Legislative Intent (Oxford Legal Philosophy)
"In this lucid and wide-ranging book, Richard Ekins offers a robust and original defense of an intent-based approach to statutory interpretation." -Gregory Bassham,Ethics"The strength of Ekins' book is his account of the rationality of the legislature, and in particular, the institutional features he argues enable and exhibit the exercise of this rationality." -Maksymilian Del Mar,The Cambridge Law Journal"... a complex and thought-provoking examination of the concept of legislative intent ... this book provides some invaluable insights into the nature of group agency and the philosophy of language, and seeks to give a greater understanding of the function of the legislature within contemporary constitutional thought." -Matthew Burton,Public Law"Ekins provides a comprehensive, thoughtful and sophisticated argument for the inferential process of interpretation that he advocates. Its subject matter makes it essential reading for those engaged in or studying the legislative process and it must be of interest to all those interested in statutory interpretation." -Christopher Walshaw,New Zealand Law Journal"[The Nature of Legislative Intent] will be essential reading on this topic, which is central to the theory and practice of law throughout the world...it will set the agenda for future theoretical enquiry." -Jeffrey Goldsworthy,Oxford Journal of Legal Studies"The Nature of Legislative Intentcontains a wealth of sound, innovative arguments. It is required reading for anyone who cares about legislative intent." -Jeffrey Brand,Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"Ekins's book gives a compelling account that enriches the current discussion on legislative intent and challenges our understanding of its role in the exercise of statutory interpretation. This is nothing short of impressive." -Alice Wang,Auckland University Law Review"Ekins' book is analytically rigorous, and provides a sustained and consistent argument...the full-length justification and philosophical underpinning for the doctrine of legislative intent remains a valuable addition to the literature regarding legislation, concerning as it does a concept which is regularly employed by the courts." -Alistair Mills,The Edinburgh Law Review"Ekins skillfully defends the ancient idea that a legislature can intend to change law, and the job of courts is to give effect to that intent." -Adam J. MacLeod,Liberty Lawsite"It offers a well-informed account of legislative practices from the perspective of natural law, and relates to the idea of legislative intent to the core concepts of this tradition of thought. It is a welcome addition to the corpus of natural law philosophy, and a new point of reference for debates in statutory interpretation." -Arie Rosen, Public Law Review"This is a very important book, not only for the purpose of statutory interpretation. It is important because it adds a dimension to legal theory as well as constitutional analysis in its critique of leading modern theorists." -Mary Hemmings, Canadian Law Library Review