Question

What is the common law? How do the concepts of stare decisis and precedent relate to the common law?

Answer 1

Common law is the system of laws or judgments that are based on previous judgments in the court of law. These are "unwritten laws" that get established with each judgment. Precedents are legal rules that are created by judges while deciding a case. In common law, a judge must review the precedents (old judgments) in similar cases before making a decision of their own.

Stare decisis is a Latin word that means " to stand by things decided". Precedents and stare decisis are legal principles of common law that mean that if a case has been adjudged in a certain way say, then X way is binding on a similar case in future.