What is Case law?
[[File:Eo-scale2.png|thumb|right|200px]] '''Case law''' in a [[Law|legal system]] are those [[law]]s based on previous [[Judgment (law)|judicial decisions]]. This is opposed to decisions based on existing [[law|statutes]] or [[wikt:regulation|regulation]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/case-law-term.html |title=Case Law |publisher=NOLO |access-date=27 October 2015}}</ref> In countries using [[common law]], it is generally [[Legal code|uncodified]] meaning there are no collections of legal rules, and laws to rely on.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.berkeley.edu/library/robbins/CommonLawCivilLawTraditions.html |title=The Common Law and Civil Law Traditions |publisher=University of California at Berkeley |access-date=27 October 2015 |archive-date=22 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422031516/https://www.law.berkeley.edu/library/robbins/CommonLawCivilLawTraditions.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Instead they rely on [[legal precedent]]. Precedents are previous [[legal case]]s that are used as [[example]]s for deciding the present case. They are also binding on lower courts where the facts and issues are similar.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Case+Law |title=Case law |publisher=The Free Dictionary/Farlex |access-date=27 October 2015}}</ref> In [[countries]] that use [[civil law]], their laws are codified, and there is much less [[wikt:reliance|reliance]] on case law. == Common law == Judges make judicial decisions based on precedent, and their own [[wikt:understanding|understanding]] when there are few or no precedents.<ref name=UMFKCSL>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/researchguides/TMLLguide/1sec4.html |title=Relationship Between Statutory Law and Case Law |publisher=University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law |access-date=27 October 2015 |archive-date=5 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905140701/http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/researchguides/TMLLguide/1sec4.html |