1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i The Modes of Constitutional Analysis: Pragmatism (Part 5) December 30, 2021 This Legal Sidebar Post is the fifth in a nine-part series that discusses certain “methods” or “modes” of analysis that the Supr
2、eme Court has employed to determine the meaning of a provision within the Constitution. (For additional background on this topic and citations to relevant sources, please see CRS Report R45129, Modes of Constitutional Interpretation) In contrast to textualist and some originalist approaches to const
3、itutional interpretation, which generally focus on how the words of the Constitution are understood, pragmatist approaches consider the likely practical consequences of particular interpretations of the Constitution. That is, pragmatist approaches often involve the Court weighing or balancing the pr
4、obable practical consequences of one interpretation of the Constitution against other interpretations. One flavor of pragmatism weighs the future costs and benefits of an interpretation to society or the political branches, selecting the interpretation that may lead to the perceived best outcome. Fo