1. a person who interprets a legal document, especially the U.S. Constitution, according to its original meaning at the time it was written
Usage: legal/political term; common in constitutional law discourse

1. relating to or advocating the interpretation of legal documents based on their original meaning
Usage: legal/political term

Examples

• The Supreme Court justice is known as an originalist who strictly adheres to the Constitution's text.
• Originalist scholars argue that judges should interpret laws as they were understood when enacted.
• Her originalist approach to constitutional interpretation has influenced many legal decisions.
• The debate between originalists and progressives continues to shape American jurisprudence.
• An originalist reading of the Second Amendment focuses on its 18th-century meaning.
• The judge's originalist philosophy led to a controversial ruling on voting rights.