Cite as: 507 U. S. 511 (1993)
Opinion of the Court
States . . . ." 50 U. S. C. App. § 510. That purpose undoubtedly contemplated the special hardship that military duty imposed on those suddenly drafted into service by the national emergency.7 Neither that emergency, nor a particular legislative interest in easing sudden transfers from civilian to military status, however, justifies the conclusion that Congress did not intend all members of the Armed Forces, including career personnel, to receive the Act's protections. Indeed, because Congress extended the life of the Act indefinitely in 1948,8 well after the end of World War II, the complete legislative history confirms a congressional intent to protect all military personnel on active duty, just as the statutory language provides.
Respondents also correctly remind us to "follow the cardinal rule that a statute is to be read as a whole, see Massachusetts v. Morash, 490 U. S. 107, 115 (1989), since the meaning of statutory language, plain or not, depends on context." King v. St. Vincent's Hospital, 502 U. S. 215, 221 (1991). But as in King, the context of this statute actually supports the conclusion that Congress meant what § 525 says. Several provisions of the statute condition the protection they offer on a showing that military service adversely affected the ability to assert or protect a legal right. To choose one of many examples, § 532(2) authorizes a stay of enforcement of secured obligations unless "the ability of the defendant to comply with the terms of the obligation is not materially
7 Respondents emphasize that the statement of purposes refers to the " 'temporary suspension of legal proceedings and transactions.' " Brief for Respondents 8, quoting 50 U. S. C. App. § 510. The length of a suspension that lasts as long as the period of active service is "temporary," however, whether it applies to a short enlistment or a long career.
8 Section 14 of the Selective Service Act of 1948, 62 Stat. 623, provided that the 1940 Act "shall be applicable to all persons in the armed forces of the United States" until the 1940 Act "is repealed or otherwise terminated by subsequent Act of the Congress."
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