If the statute’s language and purpose will not yield a satisfactory answer, courts will consult a variety of external, or “extrinsic” sources.

They will sometimes consult these sources as backup, or confirmation, of conclusions that they have already reached through their intrinsic analyses. Three types of extrinsic sources are particularly common: legislative history, regulations, and “in pari materia” statutes.

More on the topic If the statute’s language and purpose will not yield a satisfactory answer, courts will consult a variety of external, or “extrinsic” sources.: