Judicial Precedent Is Best Understood as a Practice of the Courts and Not as a Set of Binding Rules. as a Practice It Could Be Refined or Changed by the Courts as They Wish.’ Discuss.

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Introduction The first part of the quotation implies that judicial precedent is a practice of the courts and not a set of binding rules. The second part states that as a matter of practice it is flexible and can be altered at the discretion of the court. It is therefore proposed that an in-depth examination of the doctrine of judicial precedent is carried out to determine whether the first part of the quotation is correct in its entity or whether it is partly correct or if it could be completely wrong. The United Kingdom although having an uncodified constitution has always preserved the concept of the separation of powers, the legislature vested with the role of making law and the judiciary applying them. Within this constitutional system, it is universally accepted and viewed that judges should not be making law but merely deciding cases in accordance with the established rule of law. To achieve this end, the courts, throughout the centuries, have adopted the doctrine of judicial precedent also known as ‘stare decisis’, meaning ‘let the decision stand’. Definition Judicial precedent puts an obligation on courts to strictly follow earlier decisions of all courts of the same or lower instance when deciding analogous cases. However, the doctrine of Judicial Precedent does not sit in a vacuum but its application operates within the hierarchy of the courts taking into account the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Communities Act 1972. However an important aspect for the operation of the doctrine lies in the difference between ratio decidendi and obiter dicta in judgment. The ratio decidendi is the part of a judgment which is the reason in law for the outcome of the case. It is this ratio which becomes the precedent that other judges are bound to follow within the parameters of their respective hierarchy (further explanations below), while the

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