Richard Brookhiser on Originalism and the Founders

[etsneroj]

Its really no different than garden variety statutory interpretation: What is the intended meaning of a statute Congress enacted just yesterday? Were all the members of congress of like mind or understand the text in the same? No. Indeed, none formed an intent about what it meant in the context of an unanticipated fact pattern. Original "intent" is not really attainable, but you may be able to discern the objective "meaning" of the text chosen by the law's drafters, when read in its context.