Precedent

A prior judicial decision that guides or binds courts deciding later cases. Its authority depends on the court hierarchy, jurisdiction, and legal system.

Stare decisis: The doctrine that courts should follow established legal decisions when deciding similar cases. It supplies the principle for adhering to precedent over time.
Common law: A legal system in which judicial decisions are a major source of law, alongside statutes and other authorities. Precedent is a central way common-law courts develop and apply legal rules.
Statutory law: Law enacted by a legislative body and expressed in statutes. Statutes are enacted rules, whereas precedent arises from judicial decisions.
Legal certainty: The quality of law being sufficiently clear and predictable for people to plan their conduct. Following precedent can make legal outcomes more predictable.
Law of the case: A doctrine under which a court generally follows its earlier rulings within the same case. It resembles precedent but operates within one proceeding rather than across separate cases.
Ratio decidendi: The legal principle necessary to a court’s decision, which can bind lower courts as precedent. It identifies the part of a judgment that carries precedential force.
Judicial hierarchy: The ranking of courts that determines their authority over one another within a legal system. A decision’s place in the hierarchy helps determine which courts it binds.
Civil law (legal system): A legal tradition in which comprehensive codes and legislation are primary sources of law. Civil-law systems generally give judicial decisions a different formal role than common-law precedent.
Judicial independence: The ability of judges to decide cases without improper influence from other branches or private interests. Precedent can constrain individual judges while preserving decisions from external pressure.
Res judicata: A doctrine that bars relitigation of a claim already resolved by a final judgment. It gives judgments finality for the parties, rather than guiding rules for later cases.

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