precedent
PRINCIPLE OR RULE ESTABLISHED IN A PREVIOUS LEGAL CASE THAT IS EITHER BINDING ON OR PERSUASIVE FOR A COURT
Stare decisis; Stare decesis; Legal precedent; Decisional law; Precedents; Case of first impression; Binding authority; Persuasive authority; Prima impressionis; Starry Decisis; Stari Decisis; Stare Decisis; Legal cases; Precedential law; Stari decisis; Stare dicisis; Doctrine of precedence; Persuasive precedent; Binding precedent; Judge made law; Judicial precedent; Doctrine of precedent; Question of first impression; Precendents; Binding Precedent; Judge-made law; System of precedent; Non-binding authority; Legal precedence; Precedential; First impression (law); Legal Cases; Case Rules; Law made by judges; Judicial law making; Horizontal stare decisis; Precedent (law); Wrongly decided; Primae impressionis; Established precedents; Superprecedent; Matter of first impression; Vertical precedent; Horizontal precedent
1) n. a prior reported opinion of an appeals court which establishes the legal rule (authority) in the future on the same legal question decided in the prior judgment. Thus, "the rule in Fishbeck v. Gladfelter is precedent for the issue before the court in this case." The doctrine that a lower court must follow a precedent is called stare decisis 2) adj. before, as in the term "condition precedent," which is a situation which must exist before a party to a contract has to perform.
See also: stare decisis