- strict construction
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strict construction n: interpretation (as of a writing or legislation) based on a literal or technical understanding of the words used
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- strict construction
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Interpreting a legal provision (usually a constitutional protection) narrowly. Strict constructionists often look only at the literal meaning of the words in question, or at their historical meaning at the time the law was written. Also referred to as "strict interpretation" or "original intent," because a person who follows the doctrine of strict construction of the Constitution tries to ascertain the intent of the framers at the time the document was written by considering what the language they used meant at that time.Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- strict construction
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A close or narrow reading and interpretation of a statute or written document.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- strict construction
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A close or narrow reading and interpretation of a statute or written document.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
- strict construction
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(narrow construction)n.interpreting the Constitution based on a literal and narrow definition of the language without reference to the differences in conditions when the Constitution was written and modern conditions, inventions and societal changes. By contrast "broad construction" looks to what someone thinks was the "intent" of the framers' language and expands and interprets the language extensively to meet current standards of human conduct and complexity of society.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
