case law

American  

noun

1. law established by judicial decisions in particular cases, instead of by legislative action.

---

case law British  

noun

1. law established by following judicial decisions given in earlier cases Compare statute law See also precedent

---

Etymology

Origin of case law

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

In deciding the case, involving Texas’ election law, he and his law clerks had sifted through hundreds of thousands of exhibits, reviewed testimony from more than 70 witnesses and researched relevant case law.

From The Wall Street Journal

There have been hundreds of examples of lawyers relying on AI systems that “hallucinated” case law or misrepresented exhibits and filings.

From The Wall Street Journal

Citing murky laws and growing case law, online service HelloPrenup last year added optional clauses to its forms to help couples spell out what happens to embryos in a breakup.

From The Wall Street Journal

The state also claims that government code and case law make the California Department of Parks and Recreation immune from liability.

From Los Angeles Times

The great challenge in the troops cases, legal scholars agree, is that they turn on a vague, century-old text with no relevant case law to help define it.

From Los Angeles Times