The Supreme Court relies on precedents—that is, earlier laws or decisions that provide some example or rule to guide them in the case they're actually deciding.

There are several precedents for promoting people who don't have formal qualifications. Some politicians fear that agreeing to the concession would set a dangerous precedent.

Case law, also used interchangeably with common law, refers to the collection of precedents and authority set by previous judicial decisions on a particular issue or topic.

PRECEDENT definition: a legal decision or form of proceeding serving as an authoritative rule or pattern in future similar or analogous cases. See examples of precedent used in a sentence.

Definition of precedent noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. [countable, uncountable] an official action or decision that has happened in the past and that is seen as an example or a rule …

Jan 3, 2025 · "Precedent" refers to a past occurrence or ruling that serves as a model for future actions. The term is often used in legal contexts but also appears in general usage. A previous event or …

Precedent is generally established by a series of decisions. Sometimes, a single decision can create precedent. For example, a single statutory interpretation by the highest court of a state is generally …

If there is a precedent for an action or event, it has happened before, and this can be regarded as an argument for doing it again. There are plenty of precedents in Hollywood for letting people out of …

The voters broke (with) precedent [=they did something that had not been done before] when they elected a woman to the position.

precedent meaning, definition, what is precedent: an action or official decision that can ...: Learn more.