Earth Sciences 1022A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Precedent, Statutory Interpretation, Traction Engine

• School: Western University
• Department: Earth Sciences
• Course: Earth Sciences 1022A/B
• Professor: Hitchcock

Document Summary

The law, through various mechanisms, sets down various rules. Statues are often couched in general language. Courts must decide if facts of particular case fit within general language. This involves: determining the meaning of statutory terms, determining the applicability of statutory terms. No set formula for determining legislative meaning. The weight to be given to each of these elements in a particular case is not settled. Courts are only bound to follow the decisions of those courts that are higher in the same judicial hierarchy. Decisions of other courts, however, can be persuasive, depending on a variety of factors: see ls-14. Technically, a case is only binding authority for the legal principles on which the case was de(cid:272)ided (cid:894)the (cid:858)(cid:396)atio de(cid:272)ide(cid:374)di(cid:859)(cid:895) Othe(cid:396) state(cid:373)e(cid:374)ts i(cid:374) the de(cid:272)isio(cid:374) a(cid:396)e o(cid:271)ite(cid:396) di(cid:272)ta (cid:894)(cid:862)thi(cid:374)gs said (cid:271)y the (cid:449)ay(cid:863)(cid:895) a(cid:374)d thus (cid:374)ot technically binding. Distinguishing between the two is not always easy: answer is not truly known until a subsequent court determines the answer.