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 For now, the only thing that is certain is that the Justice Department filed charges against the president’s son under a gun control statute of questionable constitutionality in the middle of a post-Bruen revolution in Second Amendment case law. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 18 Sep. 2023 The settlement avoided a legal ruling on the issue of using Lacks’ cells, and there is not much similar case law to predict how a court would rule on the matter. Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2023 By the 1930s and 1940s, however, between the Depression, World War II, and several decades of case law, enforcement of the Mann Act had shifted significantly. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023 There is no requirement in the Condominium Act or applicable Illinois case law that requires a condominium board to provide a copy of a meeting agenda prior to a board meeting. Howard Dakoff, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2023 In the instance of the English barrister, for example, prosecutors argue that the interpretation of the expert—Lawrence Akka—is based on particular English case law, which would not be reliable for the jury. Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 29 Aug. 2023 Harvey, charmed that Mike can recite case law by heart and unperturbed by the fact that Mike's suitcase pops open, spilling weed on the floor, hires him. Time, 11 Aug. 2023 Regulators should revise the draft to focus more on economic analysis that is consistent with case law and the goal of protecting consumers and workers. Jason Furman, WSJ, 27 July 2023 Roy said even the park service’s own attorneys couldn’t keep up with Hendricks’ knowledge of case law. Tim Fitzpatrick, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'case law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of case law was in 1731

Dictionary Entries Near case law

Cite this Entry

“Case law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/case%20law. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on case law

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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