Obiter dictum
Latin for "something said in passing." When judges put comments in opinions that are extraneous to the line of reasoning that leads to the decision in the case, the comments are said to be "obiter dictum" or "dicta". Comments such as this are not binding authority. See, e.g. Shalala v. Schaefer, 509 U.S. 292 (1993).
Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary
See: dictum
Definition provided by Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary.
August 19, 2010, 5:20 pm
