What is the main difference between a majority and concurring opinion?

• A. A concurring opinion agrees with the result reached by the majority, but disagrees with the precise reasoning of the majority.
• B. The majority opinion is usually written by one judge and represents the principles of law that the majority of the court deemed operative in a given decision.
• C. A majority opinion is always written by all members.
• D. A concurring opinion is a separate decision that sets a different result.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the majority opinion is the court’s official, binding statement of the decision and the legal principles the court deems operative. It usually is written by one judge and lays out the rule of law that governs the case. A concurring opinion, by contrast, is a separate writing by a judge who agrees with the outcome but wants to add or emphasize different reasoning. It does not change the holding or the controlling law. So the main difference is that the majority sets the court’s ruling and the operative legal framework, while a concurring provides extra reasoning without altering the decision.