Legal Definitions - per curiam opinion

A per curiam opinion is a written statement explaining a court's decision in a case, but without identifying the individual judge who wrote the opinion. It is usually handed down by an appellate court and is often used when the decision is unanimous or when the court wants to avoid controversy.

• When the Supreme Court issues a per curiam opinion, it means that all the justices agreed on the decision, and no one justice is taking credit for writing the opinion.
• An intermediate appellate court may issue a per curiam opinion when the decision is straightforward and does not require a lengthy explanation.

These examples illustrate how a per curiam opinion is used to convey a court's decision without attributing it to a specific judge. It is often used when the decision is not controversial or when the court wants to avoid drawing attention to individual judges.