textualism

American  

[teks-choo-uh-liz-uhm] / ˈtɛks tʃu əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. strict adherence to a text, especially of the Scriptures.

2. Law. the doctrine that a legal document or statute should be interpreted by determining the relatively objective ordinary meaning of its words and phrases, without regard to historical context or legislative history.

   Textualism holds, that when applying the law, the words of the Constitution itself are to be the final authority.

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textualism British  

/ ˈtɛkstjʊəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. doctrinaire adherence to a text, esp of the Bible

2. textual criticism, esp of the Bible

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Other Word Forms

• textualist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of textualism

First recorded in 1860–65; textual + -ism

Example Sentences

That seems odd: Scalia’s entire judicial career, promoting originalism and textualism for constraining judicial activism, stands in opposition to the judicial mindset pioneered in Griswold.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Again, it’s in the plain language, and that’s textualism, right?

From Slate • May 23, 2024

Barely on the court for a year, the even-keeled Judge McAfee hews to textualism, a common judicial philosophy that follows the law as written rather than divining intent.

From New York Times • Mar. 11, 2024

What’s wrong with textualism is that it purports to ignore altogether the question of what the legislature’s purpose was in enacting the law.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 8, 2024

“The decision deploys every methodology of constitutional interpretation, including textualism, each variety of so-called originalism, attention to constitutional structure and underlying premises, functional considerations, and history,” he wrote in Slate op-ed.

From Salon • Dec. 8, 2023