Legal interpretation

Legal interpretation is the method by which courts, authorities and lawyers determine what a rule or legal act means and how it applies. Swiss legal practice commonly considers the wording, systematic context, purpose, history and constitutional or international setting of a norm, without treating any single element as automatically decisive. Interpretation also applies to contracts, administrative decisions and judgments, though methods differ by context. The task balances fidelity to enacted text, coherence of the legal order, democratic legitimacy, fairness and practical consequences.