What is a landmark decision?
Q: What is a landmark decision?
A: A landmark decision is a court ruling that establishes new precedents or changes the interpretation of existing law, and is generally regarded as settling the law of the question involved.
Q: What does it mean for a decision to be "leading" in Commonwealth countries?
A: In Commonwealth countries, when a reported decision has come to be generally regarded as settling the law of the question involved, it is said to be a leading decision.
Q: How long-term or short-term can the effects of a landmark decision be?
A: The effects of a landmark decision can have either long-term or short-term significance, depending on factors such as politics, economics or other changes in society.
Q: How did judicial review become part of US law?
A: Judicial review became part of US law when the US Supreme Court assumed (took) this power for itself with its first landmark decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803). This was when they established their "power to say what the law is" and gave themselves the right to interpret the constitution.
Q: What did Marbury v. Madison establish?
A: The Marbury v. Madison case established that the US Supreme Court had assumed (took) upon itself power for judicial review and gave itself the right to interpret the constitution.
Q: Why might politics, economics or other changes in society reduce effects of a landmark decision?
A: Politics, economics or other changes in society may reduce effects of a landmark decisions because these factors could cause an area of law to change over time which would then lessen any impact that particular ruling had previously made on that area of law.
