Word o’ the day: rule of construction

From thefreedictionary.com:

The process by which the meaning of an ambiguous provision of a statute, written document, or oral agreement is determined.

Here's example from the part of the NDAA 2013 that represents the IFCA statutes:

Nothing in this subtitle or the amendments made by this sub- title shall be construed to limit sanctions imposed with respect to Iran under any other provision of law or to limit the authority of the President to impose additional sanctions with respect to Iran.

So, a rule of construction tells you how to resolve potential conflicts between statutes or parts of statutes. In this case, if something is already sanctioned under some other sanctions regime, any exemption under IFCA doesn't overrule it. It's kind of like how one determines who gets the first pick when choosing teams for a pick-up baseball game – each team's captain puts their hand just above the previously-placed hand, until someone's hand is at the very top of the bat. And that person also has precedence in choosing the next player each round.

(Of course, there's a website that explains all this – including the popular “eagle claw” maneuver)

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