‘An Art Obscured with Difficult Cases’

Abstract

Bell has contributed much to the study of legal interpretation, perhaps most notably as editor of Cross's Statutory Interpretation. 1 He has also written helpfully about learning and teaching principles of interpretation. 2 Unsurprisingly, John brought his considerable expertise in comparative law to bear on this issue. In one article, John lamented that 'few books in the common law have dwelt at length on the jurisprudential aspects of statutory interpretation -what interpretation involves and how the choice of interpretations is rationally justified.' 3 Comparing practices and theories of interpretation across jurisdictions, he suggested, will generate valuable insights into the nature of interpretation itself, 4 as well as its interaction with legal institutions, values and practices more broadly. 5 Elsewhere, John has discussed the ways in which legal arguments and methods develop, 6 and how they are influenced by those of other jurisdictions. 7 * I am grateful to Andrew Bell, Adolfo Giuliani and Ian Williams for their very helpful comments. My thanks also go to Lorenzo Maniscalco and Jane Sancinito for their invaluable assistance with Latin texts.Original spelling has been retained in quotations, but punctuation has occasionally been modernised to aid comprehension. 1 John Bell and Sir George Engle (eds), Cross: Statutory Interpretation (2nd edn, Butterworth 1987); John Bell and Sir George Engle (eds), Cross: Statutory Interpretation (3rd edn, Oxford University Press 1995). 2 See, for example, John Bell, 'Studying Statute Law' (1993) 13 OJLS 130; John Bell, 'Teaching Statutory Interpretation' [2009] Statute Law Society paper <http://www.statutelawsociety.co.uk/teachinglegislation/background-notes/> accessed 17 August 2020. 3 Bell, 'Studying Statute Law' (n 2) 130. 4 ibid.