Interpretation of law – a necessary and important element of the law implementation process
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35774/Keywords:
Interpretation of legal norms, interpretation-clarification (cognition), interpretation-explanation, official and unofficial interpretationAbstract
This article highlights various approaches to defining the complex volitional process of the interpretation of legal norms. The author's approaches to understanding this issue provide a comprehensive picture of legal interpretation. A detailed analysis and assessment of interpretation are conducted as a specific type of state activity, alongside law-making, law enforcement, law protection, control and supervision, etc.
The author emphasizes that the interpretation of legal norms encompasses two stages: clarification (cognition) — the primary and mandatory element of interpretation that allows for understanding the content of a legal norm (an internal mental process confined to the consciousness of the interpreter) – and explanation (interpretation) – the articulation of the meaning and content of the state will and its expression for other subjects. An explanation of the dual nomenclature of these stages is provided: interpretation (cognition) and interpretation (explanation). The objective necessity of interpreting legal norms is revealed, and its types are specified. Particular emphasis is placed on the content of official interpretation, which is divided into normative (general) and casual (individual), as well as unofficial interpretation, which includes varieties such as doctrinal (scientific), systematic and non-systematic, competent (professional), and mundane (everyday) interpretation.
The article characterizes the methods of interpreting legal norms and underscores the specifics of grammatical, logical, historical-political, teleological (purposeful), and special-legal varieties of interpretation. The content of interpretation based on scope is disclosed, categorized into literal, extensive, and restrictive interpretation. Finally, the definition of acts of interpretation of legal norms (interpretative acts) is provided, and their classification is conducted. This article employs the following methods: comparative legal (associative), formal legal (dogmatic), functional, analysis, synthesis, systemic-structural, interpretation of the content of legal norms (interpretative), synergistic, and other methods.
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