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Precedent and the Supreme Court
A precedent is something that precedes, or comes before. The Supreme Court relies on precedents—that is, earlier laws or decisions that provide some example or rule to guide them in the case they're actually deciding. When hostages are being held for ransom, a government may worry about setting a bad precedent if it gives in. And a company might "break with precedent" by naming a foreigner as its president for the first time.
Synonyms
Examples of precedent in a Sentence
John McWhorter, National Review, 26 Sept. 2005
On July 12, in an action that seems to have been without precedent, the House voted, 355-0, to condemn a scientific article.
—Jonathan Rauch, National Journal, 7 Aug. 1999
In cases close-run enough to require the Supreme court to decide them, precedent and principle are elastic enough, or complex enough, that justices can often decide either way without brazenly contradicting themselves.
—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New Republic, 20 & 27 Sept. 1993
We begin to appreciate the mystery when we realize that the act of naming, or denotation, is generically without precedent in natural history.
—Walker Percy, "Naming And Being," 1960,
in Signposts in a Strange Land, 1991
The judge's ruling was based on a precedent established by an earlier decision.
He says that the government will set a dangerous precedent if it refuses to allow the protesters to hold a rally.
The judge's ruling was based on legal precedent.
Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
Judge Barrett did not entirely embrace the notion of super-precedent.
—Jonathan Turley, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2020
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2024
Historical precedent suggests that the Oscars can reflect the nation’s collective anxieties amid divisive elections or offer an escape.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for precedent 
Dictionary Entries Near precedent
Cite this Entry
“Precedent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precedent. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
precedent
1 of 2 adjective
ˈpres-əd-ənt
precedent
2 of 2 noun
Legal Definition
precedent
1 of 2 adjective
precedent
2 of 2 noun
Note: To serve as precedent for a pending case, a prior decision must have a similar question of law and factual situation. If the precedent is from the same or a superior jurisdiction (as the state's supreme court), it is binding upon the court and must be followed; if the precedent is from another jurisdiction (as another state's supreme court), it is considered only persuasive. Precedents may be overruled especially by the same court that originally rendered the decision.
Adjective
Middle French, from Latin praecedent-, praecedens, present participle of praecedere to go ahead of, come before
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