The idea of legislative intent plays a central role in legal interpretation and constitutional theory, yet is repeatedly challenged as being an illusion. Refuting these challenges, this book develops a robust account of how and why legislatures form intentions, and the importance of these intentions to understanding law and parliamentary democracy.

1: Introduction 2: Sceptical Arguments 3: Joint Intention and Group Agency 4: Legislating Without Reasoning 5: What It Is to Legislate 6: The Legislative Assembly 7: Language Use and Intention 8: The Nature of Legislative Intent 9: Intentions in Interpretation

Ekins presents a philosophically and legally rich discussion of legislative intent - in particular, refuting sceptics who argue that corporate bodies such as a legislature cannot in fact form an intent... Ekins expertly canvasses a series of debates on the legislature in order to create the philosophical foundation for his account of legislative itent, an intent that arises from but does not collapse into the intent of individual legislators.

`Ekins presents a philosophically and legally rich discussion of legislative intent - in particular, refuting sceptics who argue that corporate bodies such as a legislature cannot in fact form an intent... Ekins expertly canvasses a series of debates on the legislature in order to create the philosophical foundation for his account of legislative itent, an intent that arises from but does not collapse into the intent of individual legislators.' Anver M Emon, University of Toronto Law Journal `[Ekins] provides a serious defense of legislative intent as integral to the lawmaking process, and his closely reasoned book will make the debates over legislative intent richer, livelier, and more rigorous.' Timothy W. Grinsell, New Rambler Review `Ekins makes a brilliant case in support of intentionalism in statutory interpretation. Ekins's book is a veritable treasure trove of points about legislatures, legislating, and language... No one interested in the interpretation of legal texts can afford not to read it.' Professor Lawrence A. Alexander, University of Queensland Law Journal `There is likely not a modern textualist in the United States who would reject the contextual methodology that Ekins proposes ... There is something useful, indeed beautiful, about a work that carefully and eloquently explores a new idea or reexamines an old one. The Nature of Legislative Intent is therefore useful and beautiful, and it offers much of philosophical value for textualist and non-textualist alike.' Hillel Y. Levin, Constitutional Commentary `The Nature of Legislative Intent is an in-depth study of legislatures that offers thoughtful solutions to age-old jurisprudential quandaries. It also puts much needed philosophical sophistication at the service of constitutional law and legal interpretation more generally. This is a book driven by the insight that legislative intent is a concept connecting the inquiry about how legislatures are constituted, and how they act and speak, with the inquiry about how they change the law.' Dimitrios Kyritsis, The Modern Law Review `Professor Ekins' argument for the nature of legislative intent moves the scholarly debates in an important new direction ... In stating the central case of the well-formed legislature, he has meticulously crafted an argument that builds on an unusually broad array of critical insights from several branches of philosophy, political science, and economics ... Such a tour de force should stand as an enduring example to modern scholars of the rarely fulfilled promise offered by making a deep commitment to intellectual inquiry unfettered by artificial disciplinary barriers.' Donald L. Drakeman, Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy `It offers a well-informed account of legislative practices from the perspective of natural law, and relates to the idea of legislative intent to the core concepts of this tradition of thought. It is a welcome addition to the corpus of natural law philosophy, and a new point of reference for debates in statutory interpretation' Arie Rosen, Public Law Review `This is a very important book, not only for the purpose of statutory interpretation. It is important because it adds a dimension to legal theory as well as constitutional analysis in its critique of leading modern theorists.' Mary Hemmings, Canadian Law Library Review `...particularly noteworthy is Ekins' discussion, and indeed defence, of certain institutional features of legislatures that others have either explicitly criticised or cringed at' Maksymilian Del Mar, The Cambridge Law Journal `Ekins skillfully defends the ancient idea that a legislature can intend to change law, and the job of courts is to give effect to that intent.' Adam J, Macleod, Liberty Lawsite `Ekins' book is analytically rigorous, and provides a sustained and consistent argument...the full-length justification and philosophical underpinning for the doctrine of legislative intent remains a valuable addition to the literature regarding legislation, concerning as it does a concept which is regularly employed by the courts.' Alistair Mills, The Edinburgh Law Review `In this lucid and wide-ranging book, Richard Ekins offers a robust and original defense of an intent-based approach to statutory interpretation.' Gregory Bassham, Ethics `The strength of Ekins' book is his account of the rationality of the legislature, and in particular, the institutional features he argues enable and exhibit the exercise of this rationality.' Maksymilian Del Mar, The Cambridge Law Journal `... a complex and thought-provoking examination of the concept of legislative intent ... this book provides some invaluable insights into the nature of group agency and the philosophy of language, and seeks to give a greater understanding of the function of the legislature within contemporary constitutional thought.' Matthew Burton, Public Law `[The Nature of Legislative Intent] will be essential reading on this topic, which is central to the theory and practice of law throughout the world...it will set the agenda for future theoretical enquiry.' Jeffrey Goldsworthy, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies `The Nature of Legislative Intent contains a wealth of sound, innovative arguments. It is required reading for anyone who cares about legislative intent.' Jeffrey Brand, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews `Ekins's book gives a compelling account that enriches the current discussion on legislative intent and challenges our understanding of its role in the exercise of statutory interpretation. This is nothing short of impressive.' Alice Wang, Auckland University Law Review `Ekins provides a comprehensive, thoughtful and sophisticated argument for the inferential process of interpretation that he advocates. Its subject matter makes it essential reading for those engaged in or studying the legislative process and it must be of interest to all those interested in statutory interpretation.' Christopher Walshaw, New Zealand Law Journal

Defends a robust, original account of the nature and purpose of legislative intent, refuting arguments that the concept is illusory and useless Grounded in contemporary work on the philosophy of group agency, applying general philosophical insights to the specific problems of legislatures in legal and political theory Clarifies the role of legislative intent in statutory interpretation, a central problem for academic lawyers thinking about the role and democratic legitimacy of the courts

Professor Richard Ekins is a Tutorial Fellow in Law at St John's College. He received his BA, LLB (Hons) and BA (Hons) degrees from The University of Auckland, before going on to read for the BCL, MPhil and DPhil at Oxford. He has worked as a Judge's Clerk at the High Court of New Zealand at Auckland, a Lecturer at Balliol College, and a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Auckland.

Defends a robust, original account of the nature and purpose of legislative intent, refuting arguments that the concept is illusory and useless Grounded in contemporary work on the philosophy of group agency, applying general philosophical insights to the specific problems of legislatures in legal and political theory Clarifies the role of legislative intent in statutory interpretation, a central problem for academic lawyers thinking about the role and democratic legitimacy of the courts