precedent

—precedentless, adj.

n. /pres"i deuhnt/; adj. /pri seed"nt, pres"i deuhnt/, n.

1. Law. a legal decision or form of proceeding serving as an authoritative rule or pattern in future similar or analogous cases.

2. any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations.

adj. precedent

3. preceding; anterior.

[1350-1400; (adj.) ME < L praecedent- (s. of praecedens) prp. of praecedere to go before, PRECEDE (see -ENT); (n.) late ME, deriv. of the adj.]

Syn. 2. example, model, pattern, standard.

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▪ law

      in law, a judgment or decision of a court that is cited in a subsequent dispute as an example or analogy to justify deciding a similar case or point of law in the same manner. common law and equity, as found in English and American legal systems, rely strongly on the body of established precedents, although in the original development of equity the court theoretically had freedom from precedent. At the end of the 19th century, the principle of stare decisis (Latin: “let the decision stand”) became rigidly accepted in England. In the United States the principle of precedent is strong, though higher courts—particularly the Supreme Court of the United States—may review and overturn earlier precedents.

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