Fuller v. State

While I acknowledge the policy reasons set forth in the majority’s decision, the strict canons of statutory construction compel me to respectfully dissent.

“[T]he meaning of a statute must, in the first instance, be sought in the language in which the act is framed, and if that is plain ... the sole function of the courts is to enforce it according to its terms.”1 If statutory text is unambiguous, this Court’s role is limited to an application of the literal meaning of the statute’s words.2

The majority correctly begins its interpretation of the term “adult conviction” by looking at the…