Preamble
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 9 U.S. 49 - Yeaton v. The Bank of Alexandria · 1809Most cited · 11 citing opinions
in statutory construction
A preamble cannot annul enacting clauses; but, when it evinces the intention of the legislature and the design of the act, it enables us, in cases of two constructions, to adopt the one most consonant to their intention and design. (Marshall — paraphrasing rule.) A preamble sets forth merely the motives or inducements of the legislator, and, whether founded in error or truth, serves no other purpose than to justify him to those for whom he is legislating, or, at times, to assist in developing the meaning of doubtful enacting words.
How often courts cite the case defining “Preamble”
Court decisions citing the opinion that defined “Preamble” — 11 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining case as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.