mandatory authority
[ˈmændətɔːri ɔːˈθɒrɪti]
nounpl: mandatory authorities
autoridade obrigatória
1. A legal authority or court decision that must be followed by lower courts or other judicial bodies within the same jurisdiction
The Supreme Court's decision serves as mandatory authority for all lower courts in the country.
A decisão da Corte Suprema funciona como autoridade obrigatória para todos os tribunais inferiores do país.
2. In legal research and writing, a source of law that a court must apply when deciding a case
Precedent from the appellate court is mandatory authority that the trial court cannot ignore.
O precedente do tribunal de apelação é uma autoridade obrigatória que o tribunal de primeiro grau não pode ignorar.
This is a fundamental concept in common law legal systems (USA, Brazil's appellate system). In Brazil, the concept relates to the hierarchy of courts and binding precedent from superior courts, particularly decisions from the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) and Federal Supreme Court (STF). The term reflects the hierarchical nature of judicial systems where lower courts must respect decisions from higher courts.
Related Idioms & Phrases
follow mandatory authority
bound by mandatory authority
subject to mandatory authority
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