Definition of "precedent" []

• An act or instance that may be used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar instances. (noun)
• Law A judicial decision that may be used as a standard in subsequent similar cases: a landmark decision that set a legal precedent. (noun)
• Convention or custom arising from long practice: The President followed historical precedent in forming the Cabinet. (noun)
• Preceding. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But surely to Justice Breyer, and Souter and Ginsburg, who joined him, the precedent is the substance:"
• "Saying that this won't be a precedent is a little like the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore saying that its decision was limited to the specific facts of that case."
• "I think it makes much more sense to say that a precedent is being “applied” when there is no relevant difference that makes the rule of law announced in the precedent inapplicable."