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
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Chan said sanctuary jurisdictions can lean on that case law, which holds that states and localities have a right, under the 10th Amendment, to choose not to devote their resources toward assisting with federal immigration enforcement. Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025 Elad’s case is one of a growing—and conflicting—body of case law concerning older college athletes who eye NIL deals and the chance to challenge exhaustion of their NCAA eligibility. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Apr. 2025 The Tide Turns Delaware has long been favored for its business-friendly laws and over 200 years of corporate case law, which provides a predictable legal environment. Jeff Jacobs, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025 According to Daves, business leaders are anchoring on the existing legal frameworks of Title VII and recent case law such as the Supreme Court case to evaluate their companies' DEI strategies. Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 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 May. 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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