Skip to main content
judicial decision

judicial decision

2 5.7
A ruling by a court about a legal case
  • noun
  • /dʒuˈdɪʃəl dɪˈsɪʒən/
  • Formal
translation icon : decisión judicial
  • The court issued a significant judicial decision that impacted many people's lives.
  • judicial decision-making
  • recent judicial decisions
  • legislative and judicial decisions

I hear people on there that are, you know, any decision that is issued that is, you know, negative to Trump, any judicial decision.

Examples

  • Consumer watchdog groups complain that judicial decisions since 2003 have tightly enforced and amplified restrictions in most tort matters.

    Academic text (2006)
  • In America, judicial decisions by the courts defend free speech.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Yet these topics, like that of the impact of judicial decisions, appear to be on the decline.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The last state, Connecticut, adopted the common law by judicial decision.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Yet let us remember that the effect of judicial decisions is clumsy.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Some commentators argue that judicial decisions are "owned" by the public and provide a public benefit.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Simultaneously, judicial decisions and advocacy movements have empowered parents to be equal decision makers.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Writers and experts on the left now recognize the danger posed by these judicial decisions to their perceived relentless march of progress.

    Academic text (2011)
  • What was once a valid judicial decision can thus become obsolete and ripe for reconsideration.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions have determined that NEPA applies to Native Americans and their reservations.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

ruling
vsjudicial decision
  • Formal
430 4.9

An official written explanation by a judge for a court decision

is about the whole court conclusion rather than only the stated reasons
judgment
vsjudicial decision
  • Formal
181 2.6

A formal decision given by a court in a legal case

is broader, naming any court outcome rather than only the formal document
determination
vsjudicial decision
  • Formal
96 4.0

An official decision made after careful thought

is specific to outcomes issued by a court for matters before it

How Binding

final judgment
  • Formal
7 5.6
precedent
  • Specialized
185 6.3
judicial decision
  • Formal
2 5.7
legal opinion
  • Formal
7 6.1
interlocutory
  • Formal
1 9.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

judicial + decision

The meaning 'a ruling made by a court' is directly and compositionally derived from 'judicial' (relating to courts/judges) modifying 'decision' (an official outcome). This adjective+noun combination follows a transparent, cross-linguistically common pattern with no idiomatic shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Judicial decision shows the image of a judge in a courtroom making a clear choice. Here judicial means 'of a judge' and decision means 'a choice', so the phrase refers to an official 'ruling' by a court.