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”

Example Sentences

Stare decisis, or respect for precedent, is foremost among them.

From Slate

Stare decisis provides that the high court may not overrule a decision, even a constitutional one, without a “special justification” and that it “must have a good reason to do so over and above the belief that the precedent was wrongly decided.”

From Slate

All said they respected stare decisis, the principle that justices should be guided by the decisions made by previous courts, such as Roe and Planned Parenthood vs.

From Los Angeles Times

Barry Friedman, a law professor at New York University and the author of a 2010 article on “stealth overruling,” said such data have limitations in assessing the court’s commitment to the principle of stare decisis, legal Latin for “to stand by things decided.”

From New York Times

“You can’t look at historical figures about stare decisis and know anything,” he said, “because sometimes courts and justices are honest about overruling precedent and sometimes they are not.”

From New York Times