Judicial Precedent Flashcards

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1
Q

What is stare decisis?

A

To stand by what has been decided, i.e. let similar cases be decided in similar ways.

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2
Q

What are judicial precedents?

A

Decision made on a point of law by senior courts (appellant courts) which must be followed by lower courts in the hierarchy when a later case raising the same point of law arises.

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3
Q

What is the court hierarchy?

A
Supreme Court
CoA (Civil and Criminal Divisions)
Divisional Courts - Civil: Chancery and Family court  Criminal: QBD
Civil:
-High Court
-County Court
Criminal:
-Crown Court
-Magistrates Court
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4
Q

Who are courts bound by?

A

Those above them in the hierarchy and dealing with the same section of law (civil or criminal).
E.g. the magistrates court is bound by all other criminal courts.

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5
Q

Why does the hierarchy lead to consistency in the law?

A

All other lower courts must follow the same precedent.

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6
Q

What are Law Reports?

A

Reports written by trained specialists (can be lawyers) about a case. They will include information about the case and, most importantly, the decision of the court. It allows other lawyers and judges to learn of precedents set in courts, allowing them to prepare their case.

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7
Q

What are the 3 parts of a judgement?

A
  1. The decision
  2. Ratio Decidendi
  3. Obiter Dicta
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8
Q

What is the Ratio Decidendi?

A

Latin for ‘reason of deciding’. It contains the point of law which forms the precedent which lower courts must follow in later cases. The ratio is the binding part of the judgment (lower courts must follow the ratio).

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9
Q

What is an example of the ratio?

A

Oxford v Moss
D broke into a drawer and memorised the answers to an exam paper - he was charged with theft.
Ratio: Information is not property which can be stolen.

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10
Q

What is the Obiter Dicta?

A

It means ‘other things said’. The obiter is everything else in the judgement (other than the ratio and the verdict). This may include any relevant facts from the case or other information. The obiter is persuasive and is not binding.

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11
Q

What is an example of the obiter?

A

R v Howe
Ratio: duress cannot be a defence to murder.
Obiter: duress should not be a defence for attempted murder either.
R v Gotts
Court chose to follow the obiter in R v Howe
Ratio: duress cannot be a defence to attempted murder.

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12
Q

What are the 3 types of precedent?

A
  1. Original Precedent
  2. Binding Precedent
  3. Persuasive Precedent
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13
Q

What is an original precedent?

A

When a case raises a new point of law that has never before been decided, the judge(s) must make a new decision on that point of law, that decision will become an original precedent. I.e. when a brand new decision is made.

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14
Q

What is an example of an original precedent?

A

Donoghue v Stevenson
V suffered food poisoning after her friend bought her a drink that had a snail inside. At first, V was unable to sue as she didn’t buy the drink. However, the Supreme Court decided that the manufacturer owes a duty of care to their customer and created a new area of law - negligence.

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15
Q

What is a binding precedent?

A

The ratio decidendi of a case in a senior court must be followed when a later case raising the same point of law is heard in a lower court. The ratio forms a binding precedent. I.e. when a lower court must follow the ratio of a judgement made in a higher court.

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16
Q

What is an example of a binding precedent?

A

Grant v Australian Knitting Mills - had to follow the precedent set in Donoghue v Stevenson.
D was given some underwear from his friend which contained a chemical, giving him a rash. The CoA had to follow the decision from the Supreme Court and followed precedent.

17
Q

What is a persuasive precedent?

A

This is a decision that a court is not bound to follow but can choose to follow if it wishes. Persuasive precedents came from a variety of sources, e.g. something said ‘obiter dicta’ in an earlier case or a decision of a lower court. I.e. when a court uses something it doesn’t have to follow to make its decision.

18
Q

What is an example of a persuasive precedent?

A

R v R
The Supreme Court were considering whether rape within marriage should be illegal. The court decided to look at a judgment from the CoA to make their decision, with the CoA’s judgement being the persuasive precedent.

19
Q

What are the 5 different sources of persuasive precedents?

A
  1. Lower courts - than the one hearing the case - R v R - See above
  2. Obiter Dicta - R v Howe & R v Gotts
  3. Dissenting judgements - disagreeing with the majority - Rose and Frank v Crompton Bros. - CoA came to a majority decision (with 1 judge disagreeing) that there was a contract in the case. The HoL then followed the single judge’s decision and went against the CoA majority.
  4. Privy Council - The PC are not a court but are made up of Supreme Court judges so will make good decisions - The Wagon Mound - The PC decided the remoteness test for negligence.
  5. Other Countries’ Decisions - R v Betham - Follow the Canadian case of R v Sloan about possession of firearms.
20
Q

What stopped the HoL’s (Supreme Court) ruling from being self-binding?

A

Practice Statement 1966

21
Q

Why did the Supreme Court not want their ruling to be self-binding?

A

It may lead to injustice and may restrict proper development of the law.

22
Q

Which court binds the Court of Appeal?

A

Supreme Court

23
Q

Are the two divisions of the CoA binding on each other?

A

No - one is civil, one is criminal

24
Q

Are decision made in the CoA binding on itself?

A

Generally Yes

25
Q

What case were the 3 exceptions to the fact that the CoA is self-binding from?

A

Young v Bristol Aeroplane Co. Ltd

26
Q

What are the 3 exceptions the general rule of the CoA being self-binding?

A
  1. If there are conflicting decisions in past Court of Appeal cases the court can choose which decision it will reject.
  2. If there is a decision of the HoL (Supreme Court), which overrules a past CoA decision, the CoA must follow the HoL’s decision due to it being higher in the hierarchy.
  3. If the earlier decision is ‘per incuriam’, meaning that the decision was made due to an error.
27
Q

Which division of the CoA has a 4th exception and what is it?

A

The Criminal Division

If the law has been ‘misapplied or misunderstood’. This ensures that D’s trial is fair because D’s liberty is at stake.

28
Q

What are the 3 ways of avoiding precedent?

A
  1. Overruling
  2. Distinguishing
  3. Reversing
29
Q

What is overruling?

A

This is when a higher court in a later case decides that a precedent (i.e. the ratio) of an earlier case on the same point of law is wrong or outdated. The higher court can then overrule this precedent.

30
Q

What is an example of overruling?

A
R v Shivpuri overruled Anderton v Ryan:
A woman thought that she had found a stolen video player and was charged. Precedent is that it is not a crime to attempt the impossible. In Shivpuri, a man thought he had a class A drug but it turned out to be a legal substance. The precedent changed to it being a crime to do the impossible (with distributing the drug being impossible as the substance was legal).
See booklet for more info on the case.
31
Q

What is distinguishing?

A

Distinguishing is a method where the judge looks at the facts of the case and tries to draw a difference between the current case and the previous one. If the judge can show there is a difference between the two, he is no longer bound by the previous precedent.

32
Q

What is an example of distinguishing?

A

Balfour v Balfour - No intention to create legal relations, just a domestic relationship with no contract. (married)
Merritt v Merritt - The contract was made after they had separated. The agreement was made in writing. (unmarried)
The two cases were sufficiently different that they could be distinguished.
See booklet for more info on the case.

33
Q

What is reversing?

A

When a point of law is decided in a lower court, and then the same case goes to a higher court who changes that point of law. (A case is appealed, goes to a higher court and the decision is changed) Reversing only involves 1 case.

34
Q

What is an example of reversing?

A

R v Hasan - Self-induced duress is where D voluntarily puts himself into a position where he could expect to be threatened or pressured.
CoA said that the duress is not self-induced if D does not know what crime he will be forced to commit.
HoL said duress is self-induced whenever D knew or should have known the risk of being threatened with violence - it does not matter what crime D would be forced to do.
See booklet for more info on the case.

35
Q

How many cases are involved in each type of avoiding precedent?

A

Overruling - 2
Distinguishing - 2
Reversing - 1

36
Q

What are the advantages of judicial precedent?

A
  1. Creates Flexibility - Many ways to avoid precedent if a bad decision would be made. - R v Shivpuri (overruling) - Wrong decision can be avoided
  2. Leads to Certainty - Stare decisis - Jones v SoSSS - HoL refused to overrule Re Dowling even if the precedent was wrong a certainty was important - Helps lawyers.
  3. Allows law to respond to real life problems - Precedent is based on real cases - statutes are theoretical scenarios - R v R - societies’ opinion changed so the precedent changed. - Law can be changed in accordance to real events - development of law.
  4. Allows for judicial creativity - Original precedent and distinguishing gives courts power - judges made marital rape illegal in R v R - justice - saves P’s time.
37
Q

What are the disadvantages of judicial precedent?

A
  1. Creates uncertainty - Courts can easily avoid precedent - Merritt v Merritt and Balfour v Balfour - very similar but still distinguished - hard to predict the outcome - Bad for lawyers
  2. Rigidity and slowness of growth - Stare decisis means law is only changed in higher courts - Jones v SoSSS - HoL picked certainty over justice - leads to bad and outdated law
  3. Precedent is complex - 1/2million precedents - more getting created through distinguishing - hard to tell between ratio and obiter due to length of judgements - Re J - Judge could not figure out what the ratio was and couldn’t make a decision - defeats the point of precedent .
  4. Precedent can go against the separation of powers - gives judges power to make and change laws - R v R - P didn’t have a say in making marital rape illegal - judges aren’t elected - laws may not reflect society’s wishes.