Case Law

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Case law is the established body of law resulting from the judicial branch’s interpretation of laws and applying them to resolve civil and criminal disputes.

• case law decisions are binding on both that court and any subordinate court
• courts follow the legal principle of stare decisis (let the decision stand)
  • states that previous decisions on questions of law serve as precedent guiding the future decisions made by that court and its subordinates
• case law makes up Common Law
  • essentially the same thing, used interchangeably
  • case law may be interpreted as specific case holdings
  • whereas common law can be considered more broader