Precedent
A prior court decision that serves as a rule or guide for deciding future cases with similar facts or legal issues.
Precedent means that when a court decides a legal question, that decision becomes a guide for how similar questions should be decided in the future. In Minnesota, decisions from the Minnesota Supreme Court are binding precedent – all lower courts in the state must follow them. Decisions from the Minnesota Court of Appeals are also precedent, though only published opinions are considered binding.
The system of following precedent is called “stare decisis,” which is Latin for “to stand by things decided.” This system helps make the law predictable and consistent so that similar cases are treated the same way.
Why it matters: Precedent is how courts build the law over time. If a higher court has already ruled on a legal issue that affects your case, the lower court handling your case is expected to follow that ruling. Understanding precedent can help you predict how a judge might rule and strengthen your legal arguments by pointing to past decisions that support your position.
Example: You are fighting an eviction and find a Minnesota Supreme Court case where the court ruled that landlords must strictly follow notice requirements. You cite that case in your argument. Because it is binding precedent, the judge in your case must apply the same legal standard.
Court opinions, legal arguments, appeals, and any case where past rulings are cited as authority