The courts
precedent
A prior decision that guides or controls later cases. Courts must follow decisions of the courts above them; 'stare decisis' is the practice of standing by what was decided.
In full
Precedent runs vertically with force: every court must follow the Supreme Court, and district courts must follow their circuit. Horizontally, courts follow their own past decisions as a strong default, stare decisis, departing only with special justification. Decisions from courts outside the chain of appeal are merely persuasive.
Also written as: binding precedent
Where to go next
Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.