Legal doctrine is a framework, set of rules, procedural steps, or tests, often established through precedence in the common law, through which judgments can be determined in a given legal case. A doctrine comes about when a judge makes a ruling where a process is outlined and applied, and allows for it to be equally applied to like cases. When enough judges make use of the process soon enough it becomes established as the de facto method of deciding like situations.

See also

• List of legal doctrines