per curiam

adverb or adjective

per cu·​ri·​am (ˌ)pər-ˈkyu̇r-ē-ˌäm How to pronounce per curiam (audio)
-ˈku̇r-
: by the court as a whole rather than by a single justice and usually without extended discussion
a per curiam decision

Examples of per curiam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And in January, in another per curiam opinion, the court struck down the Department of Labor’s COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate for most U.S. employers. Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2022 The full opinions and other court proceedings, including per curiam decisions, orders and submissions, can be found on the internet at arcourts.gov. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 18 Nov. 2022 The short per curiam decision said the ordinance violated the First Amendment's protections for religious freedom. Jeremiah Poff, Washington Examiner, 3 Feb. 2023 Cole appealed the verdict to the 8th Circuit and on Monday a three-judge panel consisting of Circuit Court Judges Duane Benton, Ralph Erickson and Jonathan Kobes affirmed the verdict in a brief, one-page per curiam -- or unanimous -- decision. Dale Ellis, Arkansas Online, 13 Dec. 2022 The majority opinion was per curiam, or unanimous, of Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican, and Democratic Justices Melody Stewart and Jennifer Brunner. cleveland, 10 Oct. 2022 Last fall, in a short per curiam opinion, the court struck down the Center for Disease Control’s eviction moratorium. Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2022 The full opinions and other court proceedings, including per curiam decisions, orders and submissions, can be found on the Internet at arcourts.gov. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 25 June 2021 However, in November 2020, a per curiam ruling of the Supreme Court in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo changed the analysis specifically as to church closings. Star Tribune, 11 Apr. 2021 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin per curiam, literally, by the court

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of per curiam was in 1650

Dictionary Entries Near per curiam

Cite this Entry

“Per curiam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/per%20curiam. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Legal Definition

per curiam

adverb or adjective
: by the court as a whole rather than by a single justice and usually without extended discussion
a per curiam affirmance
Etymology

Latin, by the court

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