Legal Definitions - ruling case

A ruling case is a judicial decision that has settled an important legal rule or principle and has been consistently followed.

• Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602 (1966)
• Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

Miranda v. Arizona is an example of a ruling case because it created the exclusionary rule for evidence obtained from a suspect being interrogated while in police custody. This decision has been consistently followed in subsequent cases.

Brown v. Board of Education is another example of a ruling case because it definitively settled the issue of segregation in public schools and has been consistently followed in subsequent cases.

In general, a ruling case is an important precedent on a particular legal issue that is often cited as the dispositive authority in current litigation.