HRS §1-15
How to figure out what a confusing law means
When a law's words are unclear, judges can look at the surrounding text and the law's purpose to find the true meaning. They must reject any interpretation that leads to an absurd result. This section tells courts how to interpret ambiguous laws.
courts
The statute, as written — Construction of ambiguous context
Where the words of a law are ambiguous: (1) The meaning of the ambiguous words may be sought by examining the context, with which the ambiguous words, phrases, and sentences may be compared, in order to ascertain their true meaning. (2) The reason and spirit of the law, and the cause which induced the legislature to enact it, may be considered to discover its true meaning. (3) Every construction which leads to an absurdity shall be rejected. [CC 1859, §10; RL 1925, §10; RL 1935, §11; RL 1945, §10; am L 1955, c 57, §1(c); RL 1955, §1-18; HRS §1-15]
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.