Are appellate court opinions binding?

In Washington, appellate court opinions are binding in certain circumstances. This means that the opinion is legally binding on lower courts and must be followed. When a case is presented in an appellate court, the opinion that is rendered is binding in all lower courts. This means that any lower court must follow the precedent set by the appellate court decision in any similar case that is presented. Generally, the decisions of the appellate court cannot be challenged by any lower court. The decisions of the appellate court can be appealed to higher courts such as the Washington Supreme Court if the issue at hand is of great importance. In such cases, it is possible that the higher court can reverse the decision of the appellate court, however, such a process is generally rare. It is important to note that while appellate court decisions are binding in all lower courts, they are not necessarily binding in all other aspects of law. For example, the opinion of the appellate court may not be binding upon other states or federal courts. This means that in many cases the opinion of an appellate court in Washington may be seen as persuasive or influential, but not binding on other courts in other states or on federal courts.

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Are appellate court opinions binding?

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