-.

——

VflL EL. DECEMBER, 1930 He. 2

DETERMINING THE RATIC} DECIDENIJI UP

A CASE

ARTHUR L. GDDDH ART'

IN discussing the nature ef s precedent in English lawr Sir Jehn

Salmend says:
“A recedent, therei'ere1r is s judicial decisien yyhich centains
in itself a principle. The underlying principle which thus .fflfl'n-E
its autheritatiye element is efmn termed the ratie deerdendt.
The cencrete decisien is hindin between the parties be it. but
it is the abstract retie deez'dengi which alene has the ferce et'
law as regards the werld at large.” I
The rule is stated as fellews by Prefesser Jehn Chipman
Gray:
“It must be ehserred that at the Gennnen Layl-r net eyery epin-
ien expressed by a judge ferms a Judicial Precedent. In erder
that an epinien may have the weight ef a precedent, twe things
must eencur: it must he, in the first place, an epinien green by
a judge, and, in the secend place, it must be an epinien the fer-
niatien ef which is necessary fer the decilien ef a particular
case; in ether werds, it must net he ebiter die-tam.” I
-——

" Fellew and Lecturer in Law. Cerpus Christi Cellege, Cambridge, Eng-
land; editer cf the Law Qumran-1' REVIEW.
13ALHIJH'D. J uaIsr-annsnes [7th ed. 1924) EU].
16am. THs Nsruaa sne Seeaeas er 'rne Law {2d ed. 1921} 251. (If.
2 sperm, Jnalsraunnncn {5th ed. 1335] E21“: “It tellers free: what has
preceded, that law niade judicially must be feund in the general pressed;
{er must he feund in the general rcnsens] ef judicial decisiens er rcselur
tiens ei' specific er particular cases: that is te say. in such grenade, er
such reaeens, as detached er abstracted frem the specific peculiarities ef
the decided er resulted eases. Since ne tyre cases are precisely alike. the
decisien eat a specific case may partly turn npen reasens which are sug-
gested te the judge by its specific peculiarities er difl'erencesi And that
part ef the decisien which turns en these difi'ereneea {er that part ei' the
decisien which censists ef these special reasens]. cannet serve as a prece—
dent fer subsequent decisiens. and cannet serve as a rule er guide at”
cendumt.
The general reasens er principles ef a judicial decisien {as thus ah-
stracted frem any peculiarities ef the case} are eemmenly styled. by
writers en jurisprudence, the retie decideneh'."
[1E1]