stare decisis

American  

[stair-ee di-sahy-sis] / ˈstɛər i dɪˈsaɪ sɪs /

noun

Law.

1. the doctrine that rules or principles of law on which a court rested a previous decision are authoritative in all future cases in which the facts are substantially the same.

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stare decisis Cultural  

1. A Latin phrase that literally means “to stand on the decisions.” It expresses the common law doctrine that court decisions should be guided by precedent.

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Etymology

Origin of stare decisis

First recorded in 1855–60, stare decisis is from Latin stāre dēcīsīs “to stand by things (that have been) settled”