Stare decisis means to stand on what has been decided. Which statement best describes its effect?

• A. Stand on what has been decided.
• B. Require all laws to be revised.
• C. Allow courts to ignore prior decisions.
• D. Apply only to federal courts.

Answer: (A)

Stare decisis means you stand on what has been decided, and its effect is to bind courts to follow established precedents in similar cases, creating consistency and predictability in the law. When a higher court has set a rule, lower courts apply that rule in later cases with similar facts, unless there’s a proper reason to distinguish the current case or the precedent has been overruled. This doesn’t require rewriting all laws, and it isn’t limited to federal courts—state courts follow their own precedents as well. So the best description is that courts stand on what has been decided and apply those prior rulings to current disputes.