Corpus Linguistics in Legal Interpretation

Corpus linguistics has recently emerged as a method for addressing problems in legal interpretation. Corpus linguistics draws on evidence of language use from large, coded, electronic collections of natural language, that can be designed to sample the linguistic conventions of a wide variety of speech communities, industries, or linguistic contexts. And corpora (plural of corpus) have begun to see increasing use by judges, scholars, and advocates, including in the U.S. Supreme Court. This Teleforum will first provide an overview for those unfamiliar with corpus linguistics, and then address advantages and limitations of using language evidence from linguistic corpora in legal interpretation, such as when interpreting contracts, statutes, or constitutions, as well as highlight the use of corpus linguistics in recent cases. Featuring: -- Donald A. Daugherty, Jr., Senior Counsel, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty-- Stephen C. Mouritsen, Shareholder, Parr Brown Gee & Loveless-- James C. Phillips, Assistant Professor of Law, Fowler School of Law, Chapman University