Arrêts

In French law, an arrêt is a court decision or ruling; the plural arrêts refers to the body of such decisions, i.e., jurisprudence, that interpret and apply the law. The term is used across civil and administrative jurisprudence to denote formal determinations issued by courts on issues of law or fact.

In practice, arrêts are typically issued by appellate or supreme courts, such as the cour d'appel, the Cour de cassation, or the Conseil d'État. Decisions by lower trial courts are usually described as jugements rather than arrêts, although both can be referred to as decisions in everyday language. An arrêt may summarize the court’s ruling, set out the legal reasoning, and contribute to jurisprudence, particularly when it concerns a point of law. When a cassation arrêt quashes a lower decision for a legal error, it can lead to a new ruling or a remand.

Arrêts are published in official reporters and online databases. In France, many are released in the Bulletin des arrêts of the Cour de cassation and other collections, making them accessible to legal professionals and scholars. The concept of jurisprudence constante describes a consistent line of arrêts that establishes a stable interpretation of a given legal provision. While national in scope, arrêts can also reflect European Union law, and higher court decisions may be persuasive beyond their borders.