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opin·ion /ə-'pin-yən/ n1 a: a belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledgeb: a formal expression of a judgment or appraisal by an expert see also opinion testimony at testimony compare fact2 a: advice or evaluation regarding the legal issues involved in a situation given by an attorney to a clientb: an advisory opinion issued by an authorized public official (as an attorney general) or a recognized body (as the American Bar Association)3 a: the formal written expression by a court or judge of the reasons and principles of law upon which the decision in a case is based compare holding, judgment, rulingadvisory opinion: a nonbinding opinion or evaluation of a court or other judicial or quasi-judicial authority or body regarding the effect of the law on a situation that does not present an actual controversy between partiesto answer questions which were not brought before this Court would be to issue an advisory opinion — JBC of Wyoming Corp. v. City of Cheyenne, 843 P.2d 1190 (1992)◇ Advisory opinions are issued esp. by administrative agencies and by some state courts. Federal courts are constrained by the U.S. Constitution to deciding only cases or controversies and cannot issue advisory opinions.concurring opinion: an opinion by a judge who agrees with the result in a case but not necessarily with the reasoning used to reach itdissenting opinion: an opinion by a judge who disagrees with the result in a casemajority opinion: an opinion in a case that is written by one judge and in which a majority of the judges on the court joinmemorandum opinion1: a brief opinion of a court that announces the result of a case without extensive discussion and that is usu. unpublished and cannot be cited as precedent2: an opinion of the U.S. Tax Court that is ordered not to be published but that is authoritative as precedent3 a: an opinion of a court that sets forth the court's views or intended decision in a case but does not constitute the judgmentb: an opinion of a court or judge setting forth the conclusions and findings and containing or constituting the actual order, judgment, or decree in the caseper curiam opinion: a usu. very brief unanimous opinion attributed to the court as a whole and not to any particular judgeplurality opinion: an opinion with which a majority of the judges on the court concur in result but not in reasoningsep·a·rate opinion: an opinion written separately by a judge who dissents or who concurs only in the result of the majority opinionslip opinion: an opinion published in temporary form soon after the decision is renderedb: a written explanation for a decision reached by an official (as an arbitrator) presiding over the nonjudicial resolution of a dispute
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
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I
(belief) noun
assumption, attitude, conclusion, conjecture, consideration, conviction, determination, estimate, estimation, evaluation, fancy, feeling, guess, hypothesis, idea, impression, iudicium, judgment, notion, outlook, perspective, persuasion, point of view, position, posture, preconception, presumption, presupposition, reaction, reflection, sentiment, speculation, stance, stand, supposition, surmise, suspicion, theory, thesis, thinking, thought, view, viewpoint
foreign phrases:
- Incivile est, nisi tota lege perspecta, una aliqua particula ejus proposita, judicare, vel respond ere. — Unless the entire law has been examined, it is improper to pass judgement upon a portion of it.- Incivile est, nisi tota Sententia inspecta, de aliqua parte judicare. — It is improper to pass an opinion on any part without examining the entire sentence- Nullius hominls auctoritas apud nos valere debet, ut meliora non sequeremur si quis attulerk. — No mans influence ought to prevail upon us, that we should not follow better opinions, should any one present them- Opinio est duplex, scilicet, opinio vulgaris, orta inter graves et discretos, et quae vultum verHatis habet; et opinio tantum orta inter leves et vulgares homines absque specie veritatis. — Opinion is of two fold, namely, common opinion, which springs up among grave and discreet persons, and which has the appearance of truth, and opinion which arises among foolish and ordinary men.- Opinio quae favet testamento est tenenda. — An opinion which favors a will is to be followedII (judicial decision) noun adjudication, ascertainment, assessment, authoritative statement, conclusion, conclusion of the matter, consideration, decision, declaration, decree, decreement, determination, final judgment, finding, formal statement, judgment, judgment on facts, order, position, pronouncement, report, resolution, rule, ruling, sentence, sententia, settlement by authoritative decision, solution associated concepts: advisory opinion, concurring opinion, dissenting opinion, expert opinion, judicial opinion, legal opinion, majority opinion, memorandum opinion, minority opinion, opinion evidence, opinion of the court, per curiam opinion, professional opinion, written opinion foreign phrases:- Ubi non est directa lex, standum est arbitrio judicis, vel procedendum ad similia. — Where there is no direct law, the decision of the judge is to be taken, or references to be made to similar cases.- Judices non tenentur exprimere causam sententiae suae. — Judges are not bound to explain the reason for their sentences.III index adjudication, advice, apprehension (perception), assumption (supposition), award, belief (state of mind), concept, conclusion (determination), conjecture, conviction (persuasion), decree, deduction (conclusion), determination, dictum, estimate (idea), estimation (calculation), finding, guidance, holding (ruling of a court), idea, impression, judgment (discernment), judgment (formal court decree), notion, observation, position (point of view), posture (attitude), presumption, prognosis, pronouncement, recommendation, regard (esteem), sense (feeling), stand (position), standpoint, supposition, theory
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
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n.(1) A statement written by a judge explaining his or her decision in a case.(2) A statement written by an attorney for a client explaining his or her evaluation of the facts and law in a case.(3) Personal beliefs, views, or judgments on a matter.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
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1. a form of Act of the European Communities having no legal effect other than as a necessary part of legislative activity.2. sometimes used of the judgment of a law lord in the House of Lords, which is also called a speech.3. judgment of a Scottish judge in the Court of Session.4. the statement of law offered by a barrister or counsel, viz. counsel's opinion.
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.
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A court's written explanation of a judgment, usually including a summary of the facts, an explanation of the law on the issue, and the court's analysis for applying the law to those facts and coming to a conclusion. The opinions of appellate courts (courts that review the decisions of trial courts, the highest appellate court being the Supreme Court) are frequently published and create rules for future litigants to follow. Appellate judges who disagree with a majority opinion may file dissenting opinions.Category: Representing Yourself in CourtCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
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Non-binding statement made by EU institutions. They set out an institution's point of view on a question, without being legally binding and do not form part of the formal legislative procedure.Related terms
Practical Law Dictionary. Glossary of UK, US and international legal terms. www.practicallaw.com. 2010.
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n. The court's statement of its decision, usually written by a single judge, citing the facts, points of law, rationale, and decision or verdict.@ concurring opinionIn appellate cases, a joining in by one or more judges to the principal opinion in the case, but for differing reasons or basis.@ dissenting opinionAn opinion written by one or more judges that disagrees with the one reached by the majority of the court.@ majority opinionThe opinion reached by the majority of the court; usually known simply as the opinion.+majority opinionn. The holding of a court consisting of multiple members, typically an appellate court, issued together by the majority of the members, and establishing the formal legal result of the case, as opposed to a dissenting opinion.@ per curiam opinion(Latin) By the court; an opinion reached by an appeals court and handed down without identifying its writer by name.@
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
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A judge's written explanation of a decision of the court or of a majority of judges. A dissenting opinion disagrees with the majority opinion because of the reasoning and/or the principles of law on which the decision is based. A concurring opinion agrees with the decision of the court but offers further comment. (A per curiam opinion is an unsigned opinion "of the court.")
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
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n.the explanation of a court's judgment. When a trial court judgment is appealed to a court of appeals, the appeals judge's opinion will be detailed, citing case precedents, analyzing the facts, the applicable law and the arguments of the attorneys for the parties. Those opinions considered by the court to be worthy of serving as a precedent or involving important legal issues will be published in the official reports available in most law libraries. Since appeals courts have anywhere from three to nine judges, there are often "dissenting opinions" which disagree with the majority opinion, and "concurring opinions" which agree with the result, but apply different emphasis, precedents or logic to reach the determination. Normally the majority opinion identifies the author, but some brief opinions are labeled "in banc" (by the bench) or "per curiam" (by the court) in which the author is not specified.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
