Functionalism (law)

From Conservapedia

At law, functionalism is the idea that a court is best viewed as a functioning entity of the political process. Rather than seeking to discover precepts of natural law, the positivist approach, the view is that courts should defer to legislatures as superior bodies of expression of the public will, and superior agencies of fact-finding.

Functionalists also hold that the court's countermajoritarian role is real and integral to the political process, as a check on runaway abuse of minorities.

In statutory interpretation, a functionalist will look towards the expressed goal of the legislature, and conform the legal meaning of the statute to legislative intent wherever possible.