Objectivity and Interpretation

Abstract

Adjudication is interpretation: Adjudication is the process by which a judge comes to understand and express the meaning of an authoritative legal text and the values embodied in that text.Interpretation, whether it be in the law or literary domains, is neither a wholly discretionary nor a wholly mechanical activity.It is a dynamic interaction between reader and text, and meaning the product of that interaction.It is an activity that affords a proper * Professor of Law, Yale University.This essay had its origin in a lecture I delivered on May 12, 1981, at the Stanford Humanities Center, as part of its inaugural series.I am grateful for the generous hospitality of the faculty and students at the Stanford Law School and for a number of important discussions there that helped me better