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describes the term “in-person interview”. Where a term is not
defined in the statute, it is appropriate to accord the term its
“ordinary meaning”. Northwest Forest Resource Council v.
Glickman, 82 F.3d 825, 833 (9th Cir. 1996). And when there is no
indication that Congress intended a specific legal meaning for
the term, courts may look to sources such as dictionaries for a
definition. Muscarello v. United States, 524 U.S. 125, 127-132
(1998); see also Huntsberry v. Commissioner, 83 T.C. 742, 747-748
(1984), in which the Court stated that “where a statute is clear
on its face, * * * we would require unequivocal evidence of
legislative purpose before construing the statute so as to
override the plain meaning of the words used therein.”
The term “interview” is defined by Webster’s Third New
International Dictionary Unabridged 1183-1184 (1993) as:
a meeting face to face: a private conversation; usu: a
formal meeting for consultation: CONFERENCE
Similar definitions appear in other dictionaries. For example,
the American Heritage Dictionary (4th ed. 1970) defines the term
“interview” as “a face to face meeting arranged for the
discussion of some matter”; Webster’s II New Riverside University
Dictionary 639 (1984) defines the term as “a formal face-to-face
meeting”; and Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary 600 (1979)
defines the term as “a formal consultation” or “a meeting at
which information is obtained”.
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Last modified: May 25, 2011