Legal Definitions - slip opinion

A slip opinion is the initial, preliminary version of a court's written decision. It is released by the court shortly after the ruling is made, making the court's judgment and reasoning immediately available to the public and legal professionals. While it represents the official decision of the court, a slip opinion has not yet undergone final editing, formatting, or pagination for inclusion in official law reports. Minor changes, such as corrections of typographical errors, citation adjustments, or stylistic refinements, may still occur before the opinion is published in its final, bound volume form.

• Example 1: High-Profile Supreme Court Ruling
  Imagine the U.S. Supreme Court issues a landmark decision on a highly anticipated constitutional issue. The moment the justices announce their ruling, the full written opinion is immediately posted on the Court's website as a slip opinion. Legal scholars, journalists, and attorneys across the country download this version to analyze the court's reasoning and the implications of the decision. They understand that while this is the authoritative ruling, it might still see minor editorial changes before it appears in the official U.S. Reports.

• Example 2: State Appellate Court Decision
  A state court of appeals decides a complex business litigation case. Within hours of the decision being finalized, the court's clerk's office publishes the written judgment and accompanying legal analysis online. This initial release is a slip opinion. The attorneys involved in the case quickly access this document to inform their clients of the outcome and begin planning next steps, knowing that the version they are reading is the court's official pronouncement, even if it hasn't yet been assigned a permanent page number in the state's official reporter.

• Example 3: Legal Research for a New Precedent
  A lawyer is researching recent developments in environmental law and uses an online legal database. She finds a very recent federal circuit court decision that directly addresses a novel point of law relevant to her client. The database clearly labels this document as a "slip opinion." This designation tells her that while the decision is binding precedent within that circuit, it's the first published version and she should be aware that the final, officially reported version might contain minor non-substantive edits or different pagination.