Legal Definitions - binding authority

Binding authority refers to legal rules, principles, or decisions that a court or other legal body must follow when deciding a case. This type of authority typically comes from higher courts within the same judicial system or from statutes and constitutional provisions.

When a court is faced with binding authority, it does not have the option to disregard it, even if it disagrees with the reasoning. This concept is fundamental to ensuring consistency, predictability, and fairness in the application of law.

Here are some examples illustrating binding authority:

• Example 1: State Supreme Court Ruling

  Imagine the Supreme Court of California issues a landmark decision clarifying how a specific state consumer protection law applies to online businesses. This ruling becomes binding authority for all lower courts in California, including the Courts of Appeal and Superior Courts. If a Superior Court judge later presides over a case involving an online business and the same consumer protection law, that judge must apply the interpretation and principles established by the California Supreme Court, even if they personally believe a different interpretation would be more appropriate.

• Example 2: Federal Appellate Court Decision

  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) rules that a particular type of evidence is inadmissible in federal criminal trials under the Fourth Amendment. This decision creates binding authority for all U.S. District Courts within the Fifth Circuit. Consequently, if a federal prosecutor in a Texas District Court attempts to introduce that same type of evidence in a subsequent trial, the District Court judge is legally obligated to exclude it, adhering to the Fifth Circuit's precedent.

• Example 3: Legislative Statute

  A state legislature passes a new law that mandates a minimum wage increase for all employees within the state, effective on a specific date. This statute is binding authority. If an employee later sues their employer for failing to pay the new minimum wage, any court in that state hearing the case must apply the provisions of that statute to determine whether the employer violated the law. The court cannot decide to use a lower, previous minimum wage amount, as the new statute is the supreme law on that matter for the jurisdiction.