Opinion ID: 668570
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Standards For Construing the Convention

Text: 10 In construing a treaty--as in construing a statute--we begin with the language or text. 8 The text of a treaty must be interpreted in good faith in accordance with the ordinary meaning to be given to the terms of the treaty in their context and in light of its object and purpose. 9 Only when the language of a treaty--read in the context of its structure and purpose 10 --is ambiguous may we resort to extraneous information like the history of the treaty, the content of negotiations concerning the treaty, and the practical construction adopted by the contracting parties. 11 We have no dispensation to alter, amend, or add to any treaty, by inserting any clause, whether small or great, important or trivial.... 12 Indeed, any such effort on our part would be ... an usurpation of power, and not an exercise of judicial function. 13 Neither may we supply a casus omissus, for we have no authority to rewrite a treaty. 14 These canons of interpretation, however, do not indicate which of several competing interpretations we should favor in close cases. 11 Courts commonly declare that treaties are more liberally construed than contracts. 15 This does not mean, however, that treaty provisions are construed broadly. Rather, this liberal approach to treaty interpretation merely reflects--as indicated above--the willingness of courts, when interpreting difficult or ambiguous treaty provisions, to look beyond the written words to the history of the treaty, the negotiations, and the practical construction adopted by the parties. 16 Indeed, existing precedents--though sparse--suggest that treaty provisions should be construed narrowly rather than broadly. 17 As treaties establish restrictions or limitations on the exercise of sovereign rights by signatory States, courts should interpret treaty provisions narrowly--for fear of waiving sovereign rights that the government or people of the State never intended to cede. 18 Ambiguous provisions of a treaty should thus be interpreted to derogate minimally from the sovereign power of the State, which is the quintessential and most legitimate entity in international law. 19