Legal Definitions - minority report

Minority Report

A minority report is a formal document or section of a larger report prepared by a smaller group of individuals within a committee, commission, or other deliberative body. It expresses disagreement with the findings, conclusions, or recommendations of the majority report issued by the larger group. Essentially, it allows those who hold a differing viewpoint to formally present their alternative analysis, rationale, or proposed actions.

Here are some examples:

• Governmental Committee: Imagine a special congressional committee tasked with investigating the economic impact of a proposed new trade agreement. After extensive hearings and deliberations, the majority of the committee members conclude that the agreement will significantly boost the national economy and recommend its approval. However, a few members believe the agreement will harm specific domestic industries and lead to job losses. These dissenting members can then issue a minority report detailing their concerns, presenting alternative data, and recommending that the agreement either be rejected or significantly modified.

• Corporate Board Review: A large technology company's board of directors forms a special committee to evaluate potential candidates for a new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). After interviewing several candidates, the majority of the committee agrees on Candidate X, citing their extensive experience in product development. However, a minority of the committee members strongly advocates for Candidate Y, believing their expertise in emerging AI technologies is more crucial for the company's future. This smaller group can submit a minority report to the full board, outlining their rationale for Candidate Y and explaining why they believe Candidate X is not the optimal choice.

• Professional Standards Body: Consider a national association of medical professionals that establishes a committee to review and update ethical guidelines for patient data privacy. The majority report proposes stringent new rules for data sharing, requiring explicit patient consent for almost all circumstances. A subset of the committee members, however, argues that some of these rules are overly burdensome for research purposes and could hinder medical advancements. They might then prepare a minority report suggesting more flexible guidelines for anonymized data or for situations where public health benefits outweigh individual consent requirements, explaining their reasoning and proposing alternative language for the guidelines.