Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the legal terms you’ll run into across these opinions.
- Affirmed
- The lower court’s decision stands.
- Certiorari
- The Court agrees to hear the case, usually called “cert.”
- Concurrence
- Agrees with the result but writes separately.
- Dissent
- Disagrees with the Court’s result.
- Holding
- The binding legal rule from the case.
- Judgment
- The Court’s official bottom-line result.
- Majority
- The opinion joined by most participating Justices.
- Per curiam
- An unsigned opinion issued by the Court.
- Plurality
- No single rationale gets majority support.
- Remanded
- Sent back to a lower court.
- Reversed
- The lower court’s decision is overturned.
- Slip opinion
- The first published version of a decision.
- Stay
- A temporary pause on a ruling or proceeding.
- Syllabus
- The Reporter’s summary; not part of the opinion.
- Vacated
- The lower court’s decision is wiped out.