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Judicial Precedent

The Supreme Court and the Practice Statement

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 1

Overview

Two reasons the Practice Statement gave for the change and leapfrog appeal.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What is the Practice Statement of 1966?

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Why was the Practice Statement needed?

Key term

What caution did the Practice Statement express?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is the Practice Statement of 1966?

    Model answer

    It is the announcement by which the House of Lords said that, while treating its former decisions as normally binding, it would depart from a previous decision when it appeared right to do so.

  2. 2

    Why was the Practice Statement needed?

    Model answer

    London Tramways v London County Council (1898) had held that the House of Lords was absolutely bound by its own decisions, so an error at the top of the system could be corrected only by an Act of Parliament.

  3. 3

    State the two reasons the Practice Statement gave for the change.

    Model answer

    Too rigid an adherence to precedent may produce injustice in a particular case, and it may unduly restrict the proper development of the law.

  4. 4

    What caution did the Practice Statement express?

    Model answer

    It warned of the danger of disturbing retrospectively the basis on which contracts, settlements of property and fiscal arrangements had been entered into, and stressed the especial need for certainty in the criminal law.

  5. 5

    In which case was the Practice Statement first used?

    Model answer

    It was first used in Conway v Rimmer (1968), where the House of Lords departed from its earlier ruling that a minister's certificate conclusively protected documents from disclosure.

  6. 6

    In which case was the Practice Statement first used in a criminal appeal?

    Model answer

    In R v Shivpuri (1986) the House of Lords overruled its own decision in Anderton v Ryan of the previous year, holding that a person may be convicted of attempting the impossible.

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Law Making in Wales and the UK
Delegated Legislation
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Judicial Precedent

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