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American Government  /  Gov 425  ·  Atom · ~20 seconds

Precedent

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Precedent is the principle that earlier rulings guide and bind later ones — higher courts' decisions steering the whole system.

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Reliance on precedent gives unelected courts their consistency, and consistency their legitimacy.

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Precedent binds until overruled — *Plessy* stood for fifty-eight years, then *Brown* replaced it.