The U.S. Court system operates on the principle of ______________, which means that decisions today are based largely on rulings from the past.

The U.S. Court system operates on the principle of ______________, which means that decisions today are based largely on rulings from the past.

• A. Judicial activism
• B. Stare decisis
• C. Originalism
• D. Legal positivism

Answer: (B)

Stare decisis means letting existing decisions stand and following precedent. In the U.S. court system, many rulings become guides for future cases, so decisions today are based largely on what the courts decided in the past. This promotes consistency, predictability, and stability in how laws are applied. The principle is central to how common-law traditions evolve, with lower courts generally bound to follow Supreme Court and prior appellate rulings unless there's a compelling reason to depart from them. The other terms describe different ideas: judicial activism involves broad policy-making by judges; originalism emphasizes interpreting the Constitution as its framers understood; legal positivism focuses on law as valid rules created by recognized authorities, not on relying on past rulings.

Stare decisis means letting existing decisions stand and following precedent. In the U.S. court system, many rulings become guides for future cases, so decisions today are based largely on what the courts decided in the past. This promotes consistency, predictability, and stability in how laws are applied. The principle is central to how common-law traditions evolve, with lower courts generally bound to follow Supreme Court and prior appellate rulings unless there's a compelling reason to depart from them. The other terms describe different ideas: judicial activism involves broad policy-making by judges; originalism emphasizes interpreting the Constitution as its framers understood; legal positivism focuses on law as valid rules created by recognized authorities, not on relying on past rulings.