Glossary
Ratio decidendi
the reason for deciding
common-law
The legal principle essential to a court's decision, and the only part that binds.
In more detail
Identifying the ratio requires separating the necessary legal reasoning from the facts and from incidental commentary. Because courts rarely label it, extracting the ratio from a long judgment is a core common-law skill and a frequent source of appellate argument.
Related terms
- precedent
- obiter-dictum
See how this applies to you
Definitions are general. How a term operates depends on the jurisdiction you are in.