legislative intent

Legislative intent refers to the process and deliberations that lawmakers had regarding the creation of their laws. The intent behind a law may inform those tasked with interpreting it, especially in cases of ambiguity in the language. Courts are often tasked with reviewing legislative intent when interpreting statutes. While legislative intent can be determined in several ways, courts often look to the legislative history of the law.

Courts will usually look at the language of the statute itself first. If the language is clear, then the court may not need to look at the legislative history. If the language is not clear or leaves room for ambiguity, then the court may defer to prior interpretations of the legislative intent in prior case law. If the legislative intent has not previously been interpreted, the court will then look to the documents associated with the passage of the statute, such as committee reports, changes in the language of the bill, debate transcripts, or relevant secondary sources about the bill.

See also: Library of Congress – Compiling a Federal Legislative History: A Beginner’s Guide, and New York State Library – Legislative Intent. 

[Last reviewed in March of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team] 

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