case law

noun

: law established by judicial decision in cases

Examples of case law in a Sentence

Case law says that a person has a right to privacy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bowman noted the authority is guided by state law and case law in its decisions and deciding what is just and reasonable by a preponderance of evidence. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2026

This is a growing area of case law, with convictions vacated in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, and New York in the past three years for wrongful admission and use of lyrics in trials. —Janay Reece, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026

Even then, the Observer reported in a 2023 investigation, so little case law existed on the issue that his limit on being held was murky. —Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026

There have been a number of situations where lawyers were sanctioned for using AI when, for example, AI makes up case law which does not exist and a lawyer cites to it. —Wendy Hickey, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for case law

• allantois
• baccarat
• chickasaw
• mackinaw
• overawe
• oversaw
• quebecois
• yojana
• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw

Legal Definition

case law

noun

: law established by judicial decisions in cases as distinguished from law created by legislation

called also decisional law

see also common law