Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Definition: A written statement by a court explaining its decision in a case, including the facts, points of law, rationale, and dicta. It is also known as a court opinion or simply an opinion.
Examples:
These examples illustrate how a judicial opinion is a written statement by a court explaining its decision in a case. Majority opinions are those joined by more than half of the judges, while dissenting opinions are those by judges who disagree with the majority. Per curiam opinions are those handed down by an appellate court without identifying the individual judge who wrote the opinion.