How important can the meaning of a single word be? In an upcoming Supreme Court case, the interpretation could affect the length of thousands of prison sentences handed down each year. The legal fight that the justices will hear on Oct. 2, the first day of their new term, depends on the meaning of “and” in a provision of a 2018 criminal justice overhaul. Federal courts across the country are in disagreement about whether the word means “and” or whether it means “or.” So the Supreme Court is stepping in to settle the dispute. It’s the kind of task that the justices love. And so might their English teachers.
