Binding authority
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Binding authority authority
A source of law a court MUST follow — for example, a statute that applies, or a higher court's ruling in the same court system.
Technical: Mandatory (controlling) authority: constitutional text, an applicable statute, or a precedent from a higher court within the same jurisdiction, which a court is obligated to apply to the case before it.
Sources: Cornell LII — Mandatory authority
A dictionary entry is reference: it describes how a term is used. It is not itself binding law. Why that matters →
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