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Per Curiam
In law, a per curiam decision (or opinion) is a ruling handed down by a court with multiple judges in which the decision rendered was made by the court acting as a whole. The literal meaning of this Latin term is "by the court". However, per curiam decisions are not the only type of decision that can reflect the opinion of the court, but other types of decisions can also reflect the opinion of the court as a whole, even if not issued in per curiam form.
Per Curiam Opinions Examined
Ever wondered why courts sometimes designate an opinion as per curiam (by the court) without indicating which judge or justice actually penned it? Howard J...
Per curiam: Hedgpeth v. Pulido
“The United States Supreme Court issued one decision today. In Hedgpeth v. Pulido, the Court issued a per curiam decision, with 3 justices dissenting as to the remand, in which it held that a conviction based on jury instructions containing more than one theory of guilt, where one theory is invalid, is to be judged [...
Per Curiam Opinions: What's the [counter]point?
Should Precedential Rulings Be Designated Per Curiam?
In Per Curiam Opinions: What's the Point?, Howard J. Bashman criticizes the practice of precedential rulings that are designated as per curiam...
Court issues per curiam opinion in Nelson v. US
Today the Court also issued a per curiam opinion in Nelson v. US, on sentencing guidelines. The ruling below, which held for the United States, is reversed and remanded...
Some post-Booker SCOTUS doings from a per curiam and a dissent
I thought the biggest sentencing news to come from the Supreme Court today would be either the denial of cert in the Troy Davis case (details here from the AP) or the oral argument in the Oregon v...
















