- stare decisis
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sta·re de·ci·sis /'ster-ē-di-'sī-sis, 'stär-ē-; 'stä-rā-dā-'kē-sēs/ n [New Latin, to stand by things that have been settled]: the doctrine under which courts adhere to precedent on questions of law in order to insure certainty, consistency, and stability in the administration of justice with departure from precedent permitted for compelling reasons (as to prevent the perpetuation of injustice)
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- stare decisis
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noun
authoritative example, basis, foundation, precedent, principle of law, rule, standard
associated concepts: stare decisis et non quieta movere, stare in judicio
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
- stare decisis
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n.(Latin) Stand by things decided; the principle that courts in common law will follow previously decided cases as much as possible and avoid upsetting precedents.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
- stare decisis
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'let the decision stand'. The Anglo-American system of dealing with precedents depends on a court's position in the hierarchy of courts. A court will be compelled to follow the previous decision where the decision is in point, i.e. where the facts are sufficiently similar to require the application of the same law, e.g. in England the Court of Appeal must follow the House of Lords, and the High Court, the Court of Appeal. The House of Lords, to allow some flexibility in 1966, allowed itself to depart from its own previous decisions. In recent years when such a step is contemplated a larger court is convened; see, for example, Murphy v . Brentwood [1990] 3 WLR 414. It is the ratio decidendi of the case that must be followed. The system is a good one, providing certainty and predictability, which is of value for the many thousands of cases that go nowhere near a court. Its main drawback is inflexibility.
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.
- stare decisis
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(stah-ry dee-sigh-sis) Latin for "let the decision stand," a doctrine requiring that judges apply the same reasoning to lawsuits as has been used in prior similar cases.Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- stare decisis
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n. Latin To stand by what was decided. The doctrine of common law under which courts follow the earlier judicial decisions made on the same points of litigation; following precedent. Stare decisis is not inviolable, but precedent will be overturned only for good cause. The doctrine, however, is essentially useless in constitutional law.See also precedent, res judicata.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
- stare decisis
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(Latin: Let the decision stand.)The policy of courts to abide by or adhere to principles established by decisions in earlier cases.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- stare decisis
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I
[Latin, Let the decision stand.] The policy of courts to abide by or adhere to principles established by decisions in earlier cases.II To abide by decided cases.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
- stare decisis
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: (stah-ree duh-sigh-sis) n. Latin for "to stand by a decision," the doctrine that a trial court is bound by appellate court decisions (precedents) on a legal question which is raised in the lower court. Reliance on such precedents is required of trial courts until such time as an appellate court changes the rule, for the trial court cannot ignore the precedent (even when the trial judge believes it is "bad law").
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
