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 Even though case law on issues over fine print often varies case by case, the couple’s lawyer, Evan Lide, insisted that more courts are ruling for consumers. David K. Li, NBC News, 3 Oct. 2024 Further, the Aces maintain that Title VII case law doesn’t support the use of trade as evidence of employment discrimination. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019 In the years since, the Lenahan case has been cited in international and domestic case law and legislation throughout the world. Caroline Bettinger-López, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018 McAfee cited case law that says complaints filed in federal court fall within the scope federal perjury statutes and said the charge must be quashed. Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for case law 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of case law was in 1731

Dictionary Entries Near case law

Cite this Entry

“Case law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/case%20law. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!