The inaugural Law and Corpus Linguistics Conference, co-sponsored by BYU Law and the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, brought together over two dozen scholars and judges with expertise in legal interpretation to examine theoretical and methodological issues relating to the emerging field of law and corpus linguistics.
“Corpus linguistics is a breakthrough development in legal interpretation, and BYU is a leader in the field,” said Dean Gordon Smith. “In this pioneering conference, BYU Law brought together leading linguists and legal theorists to explore ways to facilitate the use of this method by scholars and judges.”
Internationally recognized legal theorist, Larry Solum, wrote in his Legal Theory Blog: “This was an important and pathbreaking event–the first in my knowledge to undertake a systematic exploration of corpus linguistics and the interpretation of legal texts. Chief Justice Tom Lee of the Utah Supreme Court discussed his pioneering work, and Stephen Mouritsen discussed his important work.”
Presenters included:
Gordon Smith, BYU
David Moore, BYU
Carolina Nunez, BYU
Stephen Mouritsen, BYU
James Phillips, BYU
Randy Barnett, Georgetown
Mark Davies, BYU
Justice Thomas R. Lee, Utah Supreme Court
Larry Solum, Georgetown