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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The other thing that's interesting is there's a case law coming out of the Eleventh Circuit saying that that exemption only applies to a single property, and the problem for the pope is that he's got more than one palace. Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 There’s case law on this from the past. Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 27 Aug. 2025 First Amendment issue The right to record public officials engaged their official duties in a public place has been solidified through previous case law. Cate Charron, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025 Snyder concedes that, in the absence of clear case law or administrative guidance, practitioners are largely navigating in the dark. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for case law

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Case law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/case%20law. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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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