A court decision is the final ruling on a case by a judge or other judicial official. The decision decides the facts of the case, sets out the law on which the case is decided, and determines how the case should be resolved. Court decisions are the basis for legal practice and lawmaking. Court decisions can set a precedent, meaning that courts of lower levels must follow the ruling of the higher level court.
In the United States Supreme Court, a decision is often published with a “synopsis” which is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions, a statutory officer in the Clerk’s Office. The syllabus outlines the background of the case, such as what happened in the lower courts, and explains the conclusions reached by the Court and some of the reasoning behind those conclusions. The Court does not have to publish a syllabus, but most cases with lengthy, complex decisions do contain them for the convenience of readers.
After a decision is issued, if Justices disagree with the Court’s conclusion, they may write a separate dissenting opinion explaining their disagreement. A Justice who writes a dissenting opinion explains the reasons for their disagreement and their belief that the outcome of the case should be different. Dissenting opinions do not have precedential value in future cases.
Occasionally, less than a majority of the Justices agree on the reasoning used to reach a decision and the result is a plurality opinion. The decision will usually list the Justices who signed onto the main opinion.