What Does The Word Precedent Mean In Legal Terms?

What Does The Word Precedent Mean In Legal Terms? Precedent refers to a court decision that is considered as authority for deciding subsequent cases involving identical or similar facts, or similar legal issues. … If the facts or issues of a case differ from those in a previous case, the previous case cannot be precedent.

Do Judges Have To Follow Precedent?

Do Judges Have To Follow Precedent? Do judges have to follow precedent? First, judges must follow the precedent cases. If they do not, then it is impossible to predict what the law is. The second is that with hundreds of cases being decided every day, it is hard to keep up with the relevant decision.