Justice Antonin Scalia (1936-2016) was the single most important figure in the emergence of the "new originalist" interpretation of the US Constitution, which sought to anchor the court's interpretation of the Constitution to the ordinary meaning of...

Language shapes and reflects how we think about the world. It engages and intrigues us. Our everyday use of language is quite effortless – we are all experts on our native tongues. Despite this, issues of language and meaning have long flummoxed the...

Consider this court case: a defendant has traded a gun for drugs, and there is a criminal sentencing provision that stipulates an enhanced punishment if the defendant "uses" a firearm "during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime". Buying the d...