Originalism
（重定向自Originalists）
![Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy.](/Images/godic/202501/31/Scene_at_the_Signing_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_States3219.jpg")
![Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was a firm believer in originalism](/Images/godic/202501/31/Antonin_Scalia,_SCOTUS_photo_portrait3219.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202501/31/Gadsden_flag.svg3220.png")
In the context of United States constitutional interpretation, originalism is a principle of interpretation that views the Constitution's meaning as fixed as of the time of enactment. The originalist enterprise, then, is a quest to determine the meaning of the utterances, the meaning of which can only be changed by the procedures set out in Article Five of the Constitution. The term originated in the 1980s. However, the concept is an application of formalist theory and closely related to textualism when it is applied to meaning.