Legal and Political Hermeneutics, or Principles of Interpretation..

2010. ISBN-13: 9781584772262; ISBN-10: 1584772263. Landmark Study of Judicial Interpretation Lieber, Francis. Legal and Political Hermeneutics, or Principles of Interpretation and Construction in Law and Politics, with Remarks on Precedents and Authorities. Enlarged Edition. Originally published: Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1839. xii, [13]-240 pp. Reprinted 2002, 2010 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN-13: 9781584772262; ISBN-10: 1584772263. Hardcover. $34.95 * This work received high praise from Chancellor Kent, Henry Clay, Rufus Choate, Joseph Story and others. Published at a time when there was a great deal of debate about the interpretation of the United States Constitution, it asserts that Constitutions should be read closely, since their words were carefully measured, and distinguishes between interpretation, "the art of finding out the true sense of any form of words," and construction, the drawing of conclusions respecting the subjects that lie outside the direct expression of the text. "The Hermeneutics was intended as a chapter of his Political Ethics, but became so extended that it was published separately. His distinction between interpretation and construction had great influence among legal writers of his day." (DAB). Lieber was a professor of history and political economy at South Carolina College and, later, at Columbia College and Columbia Law School. He is best known for drafting guidelines for the humane conduct of the Union army. One of these, General Orders Number 100 (better known as the "Lieber Code") was adopted by other nations and formed the basis for such international treaties as the Hague Regulations of 1907. Dictionary of American Biography VI: 236-237.