case law

American

noun

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

case law British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of case law

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

False case law or citations appearing in court filings have meanwhile prompted warnings about AI use in legal settings, with AI errors also reportedly causing issues for some governments.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

“AI can already read contracts, summarize case law, draft briefs, and do legal research.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Rulemaking is intricate work, they said, requiring expertise in the subject at hand as well as in existing statutes, regulations and case law.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026

Normally, Colorado case law takes a relatively capacious view of how a crime’s “gravity” should be measured.

From Slate • Dec. 29, 2025

And at this point no case law has fully clarified whether you own or have the right to control your tissues.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023