dissenting opinion
- noun
- /dɪˈsɛn.tɪŋ əˈpɪn.jən/
- Formal
- Justice Thomas wrote a dissenting opinion in which Justice Scalia joined, and Chief Justice Rehnquist joined in part.
- dissenting opinion of Justice
- dissenting opinion of Justice Scalia
- file a dissenting opinion
Examples
-
Torkel Opsahl and two other members of the Committee wrote a dissenting opinion.
Academic text (2016) -
"Depending on who you talk to, you have more leeway in a dissenting opinion to express your views."
Academic text (1996) -
Federal law was not argued in either the majority or dissenting opinion.
Academic text (1993) -
The Council consisted of nine members, each with a constitutional right to include his dissenting opinions in the Council Records.
Academic text (2005) -
For the reasons stated in the dissenting opinion of Mr. Justice Jackson in Beauharnais v. Illinois.
Academic text (2007) -
Hirt, on the other hand, submitted a detailed dissenting opinion and proposed an alternate design.
Academic text (1990) -
I've read many court opinions and have seen few concurring/dissenting opinions that are this personal.
Blog text (9) -
Justice Scalia wrote a dissenting opinion in which Justices Ginsburg, Thomas, and Chief Justice Rehnquist joined.
Academic text (1997) -
Souter, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Stevens, Ginsburg, and Breyer, JJ., joined.
Academic text (1996) -
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy delivered a powerful dissenting opinion that challenged the majority ruling.
Synonyms
A judge's written opinion that disagrees with the court's majority decision
Antonyms
- Formal
More than half of the judges agree on a written explanation of the court's decision
How Dissenting
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'dissenting' (expressing disagreement) modifies 'opinion' (a view or written statement), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes an opinion that disagrees with the majority. This pattern (adjective + noun yielding a descriptive phrase) is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English grammar, making the expression transparent despite its legal context.
Etymology
Dissenting opinion comes from a courtroom image where one judge dissents, that is, says 'no' to the others, and writes a separate opinion to explain the reasons. That's why a dissenting opinion today is a judge's written disagreement with the court's decision.