case law
Rulings become rules
Case law is the body of law established by judicial decisions rather than by statutes or constitutions.
When courts rule on cases, those decisions become precedents that guide future rulings on similar matters.
Lawyers research case law to find rulings that support their arguments: The case law on this issue favors the defendant.
Also called judge-made law.
- statuteEnacted written rule
- precedentPrior authoritative example
- landmark decisionLegally significant court judgment
- rulingFormal legal determination
- court of appealsTribunal reviewing lower rulings
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- legal systemattorney, lawyers, legal precedents, trial records, attorneys
- legal analysisprecedent, statute, legal research, legal memo, legal opinion
- legal documentscontract, affidavit, deed, will, subpoena
- legal historylegal history, Roman jurisprudence, codification, legal codes, criminal codes
- legal legacyprecedent, landmark ruling, legal doctrine, court decision, judicial opinion
case lawstatutory law
Legislature-made legal rules
statute law · legislation · written law · statutes · code
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