Glossary
Opinion
A court's written decision explaining why it ruled the way it did. Trial-court opinions are usually short orders. Appellate opinions are typically much longer and become precedent for future cases.
When an appellate court decides a case, it usually issues a written opinion explaining its reasoning. The opinion identifies the legal issues, summarizes the facts, walks through the analysis, and announces the ruling.
Appellate opinions are the building blocks of case law. Other courts cite them. Lawyers research them. They're how the law actually develops over time, one case at a time.
Some opinions are "published" (officially designated for citation as precedent), and some are "unpublished" (deciding the case but with limited or no precedential value).