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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.
What else can I help you with?
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
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 established by the court ruling of an earlier case?
Precedent
What is a body of law based on custom tradition and precedent set in past court cases?
Precedent is a component of common law
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
What is the significance of the written opinion in a Supreme Court case?
The written opinion in a Supreme Court case is significant because it explains the reasoning behind the Court's decision. It sets a precedent for future cases and helps to clarify the law. Additionally, it provides transparency and accountability for the Court's decision-making process.
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 the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is part of the majority he or she gets to write the opinion of the court?
If the Chief Justice is part of the majority in a Supreme Court decision, they have the authority to assign the task of writing the court's opinion to themselves or to another justice in the majority. This opinion articulates the Court's reasoning and legal rationale behind the decision. If the Chief Justice is not in the majority, the most senior justice in the majority typically assigns the opinion writing. This process is crucial as the written opinion sets a precedent for future cases.
What is a slip opinion and how does it differ from a published court opinion?
A slip opinion is a preliminary version of a court opinion that is released shortly after a court decision is made. It is not considered final or official until it is published in a bound volume. A published court opinion is the final, official version of a court decision that has been edited, reviewed, and released in a permanent format.
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 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.)
What court sets precedent for the entire US?
U.S Supreme Court
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.
