majority opinion
Most people's stance
A majority opinion is a court ruling endorsed by more than half the judges hearing a case, establishing the decision's legal reasoning and precedent.
The term extends beyond courts to mean any view held by most members of a group: The majority opinion among economists favors the policy.
Contrast with dissenting opinion and concurring opinion.
- rulingFormal legal determination
- court rulingJudicial decision on case
- judicial reviewCourts invalidating unconstitutional acts
- precedentPrior authoritative example
- legal precedentPrior ruling with authority
Marbury v. Madison · Brown v. Board of Education · consensus · Supreme Court · swing vote · legal reasoning · plurality · democracy · jurisprudence · verdict · constitutional law · legal interpretation · rule of law · bench trial · oral arguments · groupthink · case law · deliberation
- court rulingsrulings, divorce decree, judgments, annulment, verdicts
- Federal Courtsfederal court, federal courts, district court, district courts, circuit court
- Legal rulingsrulings, ruling, judgments, verdict, verdicts
- rulingsfinal judgment, summary judgment, ruling, final ruling, adjudication
- Supreme Courtchief justice, associate justices, justices, certiorari, oral arguments
- case lawcourt opinions, court cases, court decisions, binding precedent, judicial decisions