Also known as: rule of law · rule-of-law
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
Principles or doctrines that courts treat as binding authority when resolving questions of legal consequence rather than historical fact.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Rajesh Rao left a server vulnerability unpatched for weeks. Hackers later exploited multiple entry points and stole customer data. The court applies the governing causation doctrines to decide whether Rao's delay counts as legal cause even though other weaknesses existed.
Rina Rahman conveyed a warehouse located in State A to a buyer. The deed used the term 'heir' in a manner that differed between State A and State B law. The court classifies the warehouse as an immovable and defines the deed language under the law selected by the applicable choice-of-law rules.
Rosalind Reed's will left property to her 'heirs at law.' The probate court refuses to treat the language as creating a reversion in Reed's estate. The doctrine of worthier title supplies no presumption or automatic result.
Ravi Reddy's delayed repair of a cell tower caused an hour-long outage after a storm. A driver injured in a crash could not reach emergency services. The court decides which causation doctrines govern whether Reddy's conduct qualifies as legal cause before any jury resolves the facts.
Riverfront Developments repeatedly discharged pollutants onto Rachel Ramirez's land. Ramirez seeks an injunction. The court weighs the adequacy of damages by examining the nature of the interests harmed and the effects of the rules governing damage measurement.
Roger Ramirez published a false statement that a competitor's product was defective. Buyers cancelled orders after reading the statement. The court applies the governing causation doctrines to decide whether the publication counts as legal cause of the lost sales even though other market factors existed.
The court determines which legal causation doctrines apply and frames the instructions for the jury. The jury then resolves the factual disputes under those doctrines.
Supporting sources
No. The court may consider the document as persuasive evidence of reasonable care but must decide whether to adopt its recommendations as the governing standard.
Supporting sources
The plaintiff must show that the defendant's conduct was a substantial factor in bringing about the harm and that no rule of law relieves the defendant of liability because of the manner in which the harm occurred.
Supporting sources
…for certiorari of the individual petitioners and of the Times. 371 U. S. 946. We reverse the judgment. We hold that the rule of law applied by the Alabama courts is constitutionally deficient for failure to provide the safeguards for freedom of speech and of the press that are required by the First and Fourteenth…