Legal Definitions - decisional law

Decisional law, also known as caselaw, refers to the body of law created by judges through their written opinions and rulings in individual cases. Unlike statutory law, which is enacted by legislatures, or regulatory law, which is issued by administrative agencies, decisional law develops as courts interpret and apply existing laws to specific facts, thereby establishing precedents that guide future decisions in similar cases.

This process is fundamental to common law legal systems, where judicial decisions hold significant authority. When a court issues a ruling, especially at appellate levels, it not only resolves the dispute between the parties but can also establish new legal principles, clarify ambiguities in existing statutes, or modify previous interpretations of the law. These judicial pronouncements become part of the overall legal framework, influencing how lower courts and future litigants approach similar legal questions.

Here are some examples illustrating decisional law:

• Example 1: Clarifying Liability in Product Defects

  Imagine a state's highest court rules in a case involving a defective consumer product. The court determines that manufacturers can be held strictly liable for injuries caused by their products, even if they exercised reasonable care in manufacturing, provided the product was used as intended and was unreasonably dangerous. This ruling establishes a new standard for product liability in that state, meaning future lawsuits involving similar defective products will be guided by this judicial precedent. This new interpretation of liability, created by the court's decision, becomes part of the state's decisional law.

• Example 2: Defining "Reasonable Accommodation" in Employment

  A federal appellate court hears a case where an employee with a disability claims their employer failed to provide a "reasonable accommodation" as required by a federal statute. The court's written opinion provides a detailed analysis of what constitutes a "reasonable accommodation" in various workplace scenarios, outlining specific factors employers must consider and the limits of their obligations. This judicial interpretation clarifies the statutory language, offering guidance to employers, employees, and lower courts on how to apply the law. This judicial clarification contributes to the body of decisional law regarding disability rights in employment.

• Example 3: Establishing Privacy Rights in Digital Communications

  Consider a landmark Supreme Court decision that addresses whether law enforcement needs a warrant to access certain types of digital data, such as cell phone location information. Prior to this ruling, the law might have been unclear or based on older precedents related to physical searches. The Court's decision interprets the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures in the context of modern technology, establishing a new legal standard for privacy in the digital age. This ruling creates new decisional law that dictates how police must operate when seeking digital evidence, impacting countless future cases and investigations.