Pop quiz

[rhu]

Unscientific sample here, but: Without looking it up, do you know what the phrase "stare decisis" means?

Comments

Nope

[euphud.livejournal.com]

I certainly knew the concept, but I had to look up the phrase. I figured it had to do with "decision," but that was about as far as I got.

[sethg]

It means the same thing that it meant yesterday.

*laugh*

[temvald.livejournal.com]

Good answer. (And yes.)

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Nope.

[42itous.livejournal.com]

Never heard of it.

[bookishfellow.livejournal.com]

I can infer something about what it means by dredging up memories of my 5-week intensive Latin class, but I'm also pretty sure there are technical overtones I don't understand.

[(Anonymous)]

Nope.

JCBC

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

What's the point of "stare decisis" if you are enjoined from looking things up?

(Yes, I did.)

[autotruezone.livejournal.com]

When my mom was in law school (and I was in elementary school), the law students would put on a play every year. The year after Star Wars (the original) came out, their play was called Law Wars, or Starry Decisis.

So, yes.

[sethg]

“I feel a great disturbance in the courts... as if millions of plaintiffs filed complaints in terror and were suddenly dismissed on 12(b)(6) motions....”

[autotruezone.livejournal.com]

Actually, I remember almost nothing of the plot, other than that the heroine was Princess Soia, a play on the name of the then-dean of the law school, Soia Mentschikoff.

[acroarcs.livejournal.com]

Yes.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I believe it means that, once a legal decision is made, you're really stuck with the precedent, except in REALLY weird situations.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Have heard it before, but the meaning hasn't stuck for me.

Without checking comments...

[cnoocy]

I believe it is part of a larger Latin formula, but the phrase itself is "to stand by means of decided things". As a legal term, I think it refers to the court's preference to let preceding decisions stand, not to overturn unless there is a good reason.

[danchall.myvidoop.com (from livejournal.com)]

Yes, I knew that.

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

IIRC it's the legal principle that generally once a court decides something other courts don't overrule them without a good reason. (Now to read other comments and see if I'm right.)

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

Yes, both in its literal translation and in its legal context, but I was raised by lawyers and took Mr. Kizner's Latin class.

[michelel72.livejournal.com]

Um. Something to do with a legal judgment, maybe? I think "court, judge" but would have to look it up specifically if I needed to know it.

(Now checks other comments.) Okay, at least I wasn't too far off.

[rubrick.livejournal.com]

Late to the party, but I knew what it meant from recent Supreme Court nomination hearings (or rather from synopses thereof; I can't stand listening to senators talk).