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All published opinions (majority, concurring, dissenting, etc.) except per curiam (unsigned opinions) may be cited as precedent. Supreme Court opinions supersede all lower court opinions, and set binding precedents which both federal and state courts* are supposed to adhere to under the doctrine of stare decisis.

* US Supreme Court decisions only apply to state courts if they involve incorporated parts of the Bill of Rights or other applicable amendments.

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13y ago
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14y ago

A court ruling based on precedent is one where the court's decision derives from the ruling in an earlier case that covers similar points of law or legal principles. Precedents are used under the doctrine of stare decisis (let the decision stand), which encourages consistency in jurisprudence.

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14y ago

Precedential - meaning precedent-setting. Precedent means that a decision or principle announced by a higher court must be followed in later cases.

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11y ago

It is the judicial proceeding (and verdict) in a previous but similar case. Reference to precedent fosters consistency in the administration of justice.

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Q: When is a court opinion considered precedent?
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What is the difference between a binding precedent and a persuasive precedent?

A binding precedent is precedent that a court MUST follow (it is law). All prior judicial decisions in a specific court's jurisdiction heard at that court's level or higher are considered to be binding precedent. In contrast, persuasive precedent is precedent that a court need not follow (it is NOT law, but, as the name suggests, may be persuasive because it suggests a line of reasoning). All prior judicial decisions OUTSIDE of that court's jurisdiction or from a LOWER court are considered to be persuasive only.


What does it mean when a judge uses precedent to arrive at an opinion?

precedent


How do decisions of appellate courts have the force of laws?

When an appeal court decides a case, it issues a written opinion that sets a precedent for similar cases in the future. All lower courts in the jurisdiction where the precedent was issuesd must follow it


Can a court depart from a precedent if the precedent is no longer considered constitutionally valid?

Yes courts can depart from Precedents. However this depends on the level of the court and the precedent being relied upon. For instance the Supreme Court is not bound by any precedent, not even the one it set, yet the lower courts to it are bound by such precedents. Also the precedent being relied upon could have been overtaken by events e.g by change of law, time or any other factor hence making it obsolete and therefore courts departing from such precedent.


Is court precedent mandatory or persuasive?

That depends on which court you're referring to. In the federal court system, the US Supreme Court sets binding (or mandatory) precedent for all lower courts; the US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts set binding precedent for all US District Courts within their jurisdiction, but only persuasive precedent elsewhere; the US District Courts do not set binding precedent at all, they only set persuasive precedent.


If all justices of of the US Supreme Court agree on a decision what kind of opinion do they write?

The opinion of the Court may be unanimous; however, individual justices may also write concurring opinions. Alternately, all members of the Court may agree on a decision but not be willing to sign the opinion to prevent it from being cited as precedent in future cases, in which case they would write a per curiam opinion.


What court sets precedent for the entire US?

U.S Supreme Court


What is a decision in a case that sets forth a new legal principle establishing a precedent?

Ratio decidendi sets forth the legal reasoning for the decision in a case. (Obiter dictum is a judicial opinion or incidental comment that is not legally binding.)


The majority opinion of the court and the dissent has value as a precedent?

The majority opinion of an appellate court is the governing rule in the case. A dissent indicates why one of the judges on the court did not agree with the ruling of the majority. Dissents do not have the force of law, but they may be instructive in future cases where a similar issue is contested. When reading a case, make sure you're looking at the majority opinion and not the dissent, if you're trying to understand what the ruling of the case was and how the court arrived at it.


Use controlling in a sentence?

A legal precedent is called "controlling" in a court proceeding if the precedent is a decision rendered by a court to which any judgment of the court in which the proceeding is occurring can be appealed, either immediately or ultimately.


What is established by the court ruling of an earlier case?

Precedent


What does obiter dictum means?

Obiter dictum refers to remarks made by a judge in a legal opinion that are not essential to the decision of the case. These comments are considered persuasive but not binding precedent.