Question

John was elected to the house of representatives. however, the house refused to seat him due to allegations that he abused his wife ten years earlier. he filed suit in federal court. the judge decided in his favor and in her opinion she cited statements made during the constitutional convention and ratification debates in the states to support her interpretation of the qualifications clause (which governs eligibility to be a member of congress). the judge's interpretive method is best characterized as:

Answer 1

The judge’s interpretation can best be described as literalist.

A literalist approach in judicial interpretation means that the judge would just use the U.S constitution as the source of be used in determining someone’s fate in court. By using this approach, the judge is choosing to trust the constitution fully as a source and it is advantageous in some cases because it removes the judge’s predisposition in regards to the case.