Statutory interpretation

Definition
"The purpose of statutory interpretation is to determine what a statute means in order to give the statute its full, proper, and intended effect."

Overview
A question of a statutory interpretation is reviewed de novo by an appellate court.

{{Quote|We begin with the statute's language because we assume that the legislature's intent is expressed in the words it used. Generally, language is given its common, ordinary, and accepted meaning. If the meaning is plain, we ordinarily stop the inquiry. However, if a statute is ambiguous, we examine extrinsic sources, such as legislative history, to ascertain the legislative intent.