Simple English definitions for legal terms
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A minority report is a type of report in parliamentary law where a member or members of a committee disagree with the committee's report and present their own views and recommendations. This is usually allowed when the minority reaches a certain size, such as one-fourth of the committee's members. It is a way for dissenting opinions to be heard and considered. Minority reports are not limited to parliamentary law and can also be used in other contexts, such as in legal cases where a judge or panel of judges may issue a dissenting opinion.
A minority report is a report written by a member or members who disagree with the majority opinion of a committee. It sets forth their views and sometimes proposes an alternative recommendation. This type of report is often used in parliamentary law.
For example, if a committee is tasked with making a recommendation on a new policy, and the majority of the committee agrees on one course of action, but a minority of the committee disagrees, they may write a minority report to express their dissenting views and suggest a different approach.
Another example of a minority report is in the movie "Minority Report," where a special police unit uses precognitive technology to arrest and convict individuals before they commit crimes. One of the main characters, John Anderton, becomes the subject of a minority report when the precogs predict that he will commit a murder in the future, but he disagrees with this prediction and sets out to clear his name.
In both examples, the minority report represents a dissenting opinion that challenges the majority view and proposes an alternative perspective.