“precedent”
This page shows official legal definitions of “precedent” from courts and ministries of justice in multiple countries. Definitions are listed in order of reading level to help with both basic understanding and deeper context.
Australia
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The doctrine by which courts are obliged to follow past decisions.
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United States
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A court decision in an earlier case with facts and legal issues similar to a dispute currently before a court. Judges will generally "follow precedent" - meaning that they use the principles established in earlier cases to decide new cases that have similar facts and raise similar legal issues. A judge will disregard precedent if a party can show that the earlier case was wrongly decided, or that it differed in some significant way from the current case.
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