The courts
dicta
Statements in a judicial opinion that are not necessary to the decision. Later courts may find them persuasive but are not bound by them.
In full
Only an opinion's holding, the legal rule necessary to resolve the actual dispute, binds later courts. Everything else, asides, hypotheticals, observations about questions not presented, is obiter dicta. The line between holding and dicta is itself a frequent battleground.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.