GOLDEN RULE
golden rule.The principle that, in construing written instruments, a court should adhere to the
grammatical and ordinary sense of the words unless that adherence would lead to some manifest
absurdity; esp., in statutory construction, the principle that if a statute’s literal meaning would lead
to an absurd or unjust result, or even to an inconsistency within the statute itself, the statute should
be interpreted in a way that avoids such a result or in-consistency. — Also termed Baron Parke’s
rule. Cf. ABSURDITY; MISCHIEF RULE ; PLAIN-MEANING RULE;
EQUITY-OF-THE-STATUTE RULE. [Cases: Statutes 181(2), 189. C.J.S. Statutes §§ 318, 324.]
“[T]he ‘golden’ rule … allows for a departure from the literal rule when the application of the
statutory words in the ordinary sense would be repugnant to or inconsistent with some other
provision in the statute or even when it would lead to what the court considers to be an absurdity.
The usual consequence of applying the golden rule is that words which are in the statute are
ignored or words which are not there are read in. The scope of the golden rule is debatable,
particularly so far as the meaning of an ‘absurdity’ is concerned.” Rupert Cross, Statutory
In-terpretation 14 (1976). [Blacks Law 8th]