Ratio Decidendi
Defined in 3 dictionaries — Cyclopedic (1922), Ballentine's (1916), Black's (1910)
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary
Walter A. Shumaker and George Foster Longsdorf; ed. James C. Cahill · 1922
The ground of decision. RATIO EST FORIVIALIS CAUSA CONsuetudinis. Reason is the source and mold of custom. RATIO EST LEGIS ANIIMA; IVIUTATA legis ratione mutatur et lex. Reason is the soul of the law; the reason of the law being changed, the law is also changed. 7 Coke, 7.
Ballentine's Law Dictionary
James A. Ballentine · 1916
The ground of the decision.
Black's Law Dictionary
Henry Campbell Black, M.A. · 1910
The ground of decision. The point in a case which determines the judgment.
Defined under Ratio in Black's Law Dictionary.