Under Washington State canons of statutory construction, what is the canon noscitur a sociis? Here’s my point of view.
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THE CANON NOSCITUR A SOCIIS
According to the canon noscitur a sociis:
[T]he meaning of an unclear word or phrase should be determined by the words immediately surrounding it.
Black’s Law Dictionary 1087 (Deluxe 8th ed. 2004); Hous. Auth. v. Parker, No. 39089-6-III, slip op. at 7 (Div. 3 Sept. 21, 2023) (“Under the canon[ ] of noscitur a sociis … the use of the word “other” to modify a general term can signify legislative intent that the general term shares some sort of attribute with preceding, more specific terms.” (emphasis in original)).
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