ennakkotapauksista

Ennakkotapaus, or precedent, is a legal principle where past court decisions influence future rulings. In common law legal systems, a decision made by a higher court on a specific legal issue becomes binding on lower courts within the same jurisdiction when faced with similar facts and legal questions. This doctrine, known as stare decisis, promotes consistency and predictability in the law. Courts look to previous judgments to guide their reasoning and ensure fairness. However, precedents are not immutable. Higher courts can overturn or distinguish previous decisions if they believe the original ruling was incorrect or if the circumstances of the new case are sufficiently different. The concept of precedent is crucial for the development of case law and the administration of justice, providing a framework for legal interpretation and application. Finnish law, while primarily based on civil law traditions, also considers the persuasive value of previous court decisions, particularly those from the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, although these do not carry the same binding force as in common law systems.