What is the role of precedent in jurisprudence law?

Precedent is an important part of jurisprudence law in Texas. Precedent is when judges rely on past decisions made by other judges to guide their decisions in the present case. This means that judges look back to relevant cases handled by other courts to see how the law was applied. This helps to provide consistency in the law, as decisions are not made in a vacuum. When judges refer to earlier court decisions, it is known as "stare decisis." This phrase is Latin for "to stand by what is decided." When judges look to precedent, they must evaluate it in light of the facts of the case and the current law. Judges may choose to uphold or overturn previous decisions based on their findings. This is how precedent provides flexibility in law, and allows for changes in legal interpretations that reflect the current cultural and social standards in society. For example, in the 1951 Supreme Court case of Sweatt v. Painter, the Court overturned a previous decision and struck down a Texas law that segregated students by race. The Court used the doctrine of “equal protection” under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which overruled the precedent set forth in the notorious Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896. This was an important moment in civil rights history, and a clear example of the flexibility of precedent in the law. In sum, precedent plays an important role in Texas jurisprudence law. When judges look to prior court decisions, they help to ensure consistency in the law. At the same time, they are able to update legal interpretations to fit with current social standards. This is how precedent provides both stability and flexibility to the law in Texas.

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What is the role of precedent in jurisprudence law?

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