# Precedent

> Legal precedent reference — stare decisis, case law hierarchy, distinguishing, overruling, persuasive authority. Use when researching binding case law, analyzing judicial reasoning, or building legal arguments.

- Skill: `bytesagain/precedent` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add bytesagain/precedent`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/bytesagain/precedent/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: bytesagain (https://skillmd.com/u/bytesagain)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/bytesagain/precedent

---


# Precedent — Legal Precedent Reference

Quick-reference skill for the doctrine of precedent, case law analysis, and stare decisis.

## When to Use

- Determining which court decisions are binding in your jurisdiction
- Distinguishing or analogizing prior cases
- Understanding ratio decidendi vs obiter dicta
- Researching whether a precedent has been overruled or modified
- Building persuasive legal arguments from case law

## Commands

### `intro`

```bash
scripts/script.sh intro
```

Overview of legal precedent — stare decisis, common law tradition, purpose.

### `hierarchy`

```bash
scripts/script.sh hierarchy
```

Court hierarchy — binding vs persuasive authority, federal/state systems.

### `analysis`

```bash
scripts/script.sh analysis
```

Case analysis — ratio decidendi, obiter dicta, material facts, holdings.

### `distinguishing`

```bash
scripts/script.sh distinguishing
```

Distinguishing precedent — factual differences, legal distinctions, narrow/broad readings.

### `overruling`

```bash
scripts/script.sh overruling
```

Overruling and modifying precedent — when courts reverse themselves.

### `research`

```bash
scripts/script.sh research
```

Case law research — citation formats, Shepardizing, KeyCite, databases.

### `writing`

```bash
scripts/script.sh writing
```

Using precedent in legal writing — IRAC, analogical reasoning, synthesis.

### `checklist`

```bash
scripts/script.sh checklist
```

Case law analysis and application checklist.

### `help`

```bash
scripts/script.sh help
```

### `version`

```bash
scripts/script.sh version
```

## Configuration

| Variable | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `PRECEDENT_DIR` | Data directory (default: ~/.precedent/) |

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