California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from Gilliland v. Med. Bd. of CA., 106 Cal.Rptr.2d 863 (Cal. App. 2001):
With regard to the question of jurisdiction, none of the essential underlying facts is disputed. The only issue on appeal is one of law. Accordingly, the standard of review is de novo. (See, e.g., Burden v. Snowden (1992) 2 Cal.4th 556, 562.)
The rules regarding statutory construction are well established: "'"'A statute must be construed "in the context of the entire statutory [scheme] of which it is a part, in order to achieve harmony among [its] parts." [Citation.]'"'" (O'Brien v. Dudenhoeffer (1993) 16 Cal.App.4th 327, 332.) However, "'"[i]t is a prime rule of construction that the legislative intent underlying a statute [or statutes] must be ascertained from its language; if the language is clear, there can be no room for interpretation, and effect must be given to its plain meaning. [Citation.]"'" (Ibid.)
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