Expressio unius

Definition

A Latin legal principle meaning 'the expression of one thing implies the exclusion of others.' When a statute explicitly mentions one limitation, the inference is that Congress did not intend other unmentioned limitations to apply. This canon of statutory construction is used to argue against reading additional restrictions into a law.

Examples

• •Petitioners argue that because Congress expressly prohibited only 'rehabilitation alone' as a basis for compassionate release in Section 994(t), Congress did not intend to prohibit consideration of non-retroactive legal changes

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