Don't Surrender the Narrative: Reclaiming Legislative Intent Through Effective Legislative Research

Join the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law for a free CLE webinar, Don’t Surrender the Narrative: Reclaiming Legislative Intent through Effective Legislative Research, on Thursday, January 29, from 12:00–1:00pm PT.  

Statutory interpretation in the courts has increasingly moved toward textualism. But even in a textualist era, purpose still matters, and effective litigators know how to develop the statutory story that gives meaning to the text. Legislative history and related legislative materials remain critical tools for building purpose-based arguments, responding to adverse interpretations, and strengthening briefing when statutory language is ambiguous or contested.

This training will focus on how to do legislative research effectively to support litigation. The session will be practical and visual, walking through where to look, what to pull, and how to use it. We will cover core sources of legislative history including committee reports, hearing transcripts, and the Congressional Record. We’ll discuss how to compare versions of a bill across the legislative process to pinpoint what changed - and what was left out or rejected. We’ll also cover how related bills, including those that never became law, can illuminate contested language and deliberate omissions that strengthen briefing. Join us to sharpen these skills so you can push back against overly narrow textualist readings and build stronger, more persuasive briefs.