判例法
判例法（英語：case law），就是以個案判例的形式表现出的法律规范，以遵循先例的法律原則作為其建立的基礎。簡單而言，作为判例的先例对其后的案件具有法律约束力，可以成为日后法官审判类似案件的基本准则。當然，法院有上級和下級之分，例如原訟庭(court of first instance)先前的判例無法约束上訴法庭的判決。英美法系以判例法为主要的法律渊源，以遵循先例为主要的司法审判原则。但在現今一些歐陸法系國家司法體制中，亦將判例法當作一種司法裁量上的輔助標準，且多為其上級法院與下級法院默認下的習慣。[1][2]
參考文獻
- ^ Garner, Bryan A. A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 2nd, revised. New York: Oxford University Press. 2001: 177.
In modern usage, common law is contrasted with a number of other terms. First, in denoting the body of judge-made law based on that developed in England… [P]erhaps most commonly within Anglo-American jurisdictions, common law is contrasted with statutory law ...
- ^ Black's Law Dictionary - Common law 10th. 2014: 334.
1. The body of law derived from judicial decisions, rather than from statutes or constitutions; CASE LAW [contrast to] STATUTORY LAW.
