Author Twining, William, 1934-

Title How to do things with rules : a primer of interpretation / William Twining, David Miers.

Pub Info Cambridge [U.K.] ; New York, N.Y. : Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Edition 5th ed.

Table of Contents
	Preface					xiii
	Online appendices					xxiv
	Acknowledgements					xxv
	Abbreviations					xxvii
	Table of statutes and legislative instruments					xxix
	Table of cases					xxxvii
	Part I
1.	Some food for thought					3
1.	Introduction					3
2.	The pervasiveness of norms					6
3.	Normative and legal pluralism					6
4.	Interpretation					10
5.	Standpoint and role					15
6.	Rules and relationships					23
7.	Rules and reasons					32
8.	Rules and results					35
9.	Visual presentations of rules					44
10.	Statutory interpretation and precedent: bigamy					46
11.	Discretion to disobey					53
12.	Human rights and freedoms					58
pt. II	Reading, using and interpreting rules in general					67
2.	Problems and mischiefs					69
3.	Of rules in general					80
1.	What is a rule?					80
2.	Rules and values					87
3.	The form and structure of a rule					89
4.	Rules, exceptions and exemptions					92
5.	The variety of rules					94
6.	Rules and systems					97
7.	Reifying rules: a note of warning					102
8.	The functions of rules					107
9.	Rules as techniques of social management					111
10.	Two views of rules: formalism and instrumentalism					114
11.	Other perspectives on rules					119
4.	Interpretation and application					121
1.	Interpretation: what?					122
2.	Law and fact					125
3.	Interpretation and application					131
4.	Rule-handling					132
5.	Who interprets?					133
6.	Rule-makers and rule-interpreters					141
7.	Legalism					143
8.	Leeways for interpretation and application					145
5.	Imperfect rules					148
1.	The factual context of rules					149
2.	Intentions, reasons and purposes					150
3.	The role of purposes and other reasons in interpretation					158
4.	Rules and language					162
5.	The open texture of rules					169
pt. III	Reading law: reading, using and interpreting legislation and cases					173
6.	Routine and problematic readings					175
1.	Routine readings					175
2.	Problematic readings: conditions of doubt					176
3.	A diagnostic model: structure					178
4.	A diagnostic model: application					183
7.	Legislation					193
1.	Introduction					193
2.	Reading legislation: what? why? how?					195
8.	Interpreting legislation					230
1.	Clarification of standpoint and role					231
2.	Checking the currency of the statutory material					231
3.	Identification of the conditions of doubt					235
4.	The construction of arguments					236
9.	Reading cases					268
1.	Reading cases: what? why? how?					268
2.	Cases as precedents					276
3.	Two perspectives on precedent					277
4.	The doctrine of precedent					279
5.	The practice of precedent					295
6.	The ratio decidendi of a case					304
7.	X = X = X					312
10.	The European dimension					315
1.	The European Union					316
2.	The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms					325
3.	The Human Rights Act 1998					326
4.	A note on judicial style					334
11.	Rules, reasoning and interpretation					336
1.	From diagnosis to argument					336
2.	The structure of argument in R v. Allen					338
3.	Reasoning, rules and law					343
4.	Lawyers' reasonings					363
5.	Epilogue: towards a theory of legal interpretation?					365
6.	Literary analogies, radical indeterminacy and noble dreams					370
	Part IV					377
	Questions and exercises					379
	Index					391