Ex tempore decision

{{Short description|Type of judgment}} {{About|ex tempore judgments|other meanings|Ex tempore (disambiguation)}} {{More citations needed|date=October 2021}} '''''Ex tempore''''' (Latin for "out of the moment“) is a law latin legal term that means "at the time". A judge who hands down a decision in a case soon or straight after hearing it is delivering a decision ''ex tempore''. Another way a judge may deliver a decision is to reserve their decision and deliver it later in written form.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Zander | first1 = Michael | author-link = Michael Zander | title = The Law-Making Process | publisher = Cambridge University Press | date = 2004 | location = Cambridge | isbn = 978-0-521-60989-0}}</ref> An ''ex tempore'' judgment, being off the cuff, does not entail the same preparation as a reserved decision. Consequently, it will not be thought out to the same degree.

In Australia, intermediate-level courts tend to have a heavy case load, and so many decisions are delivered ''ex tempore'' for reasons of time and necessity. Because many decisions of intermediate-level courts are ''ex tempore'', those decisions are not binding on inferior courts as a matter of ''stare decisis''. For example, in New South Wales, the District Court's decisions are not binding on the Local Court.<ref>''Valentine v Eid'' (1992), 27 NSWLR 615.</ref>

''Ex tempore'' decisions are not binding on later courts due to the quick nature of their delivery after the hearing of a case. Therefore, these decisions are of persuasive authority only and a later court, dealing with a case of similar facts, can reach a different conclusion if it is appropriate and the court in question believes that their decision is more suitable.

==See also== * Appeal * ''Curia advisari vult'' * Reserved decision * ''Sub judice'' *Pro tempore

==References== *"Ex tempore judgments". Michael Coper, Tony Blackshield and George Williams (eds). The Oxford Companion to the High Court of Australia. Oxford University Press. 2001. Published online 2007. ISBN 9780195540222. [https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195540222.001.0001/acref-9780195540222-e-147 Oxford Reference]. *Max Barrett. "The art and craft of ex tempore judgments". The Art and Craft of Judgment-Writing: A Primer for Common Law Judges. Globe Law and Business. April 2022. ISBN 9781787428577. Part III ("Ex tempore judgments"). Chapter 13. *Michael D Kirby, "Ex Tempore Judgments - Reasons on the Run" (1995) 25 University of Western Australia Law Review 213 (No 2, December 1995). AustLII: [http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UWALawRw/1995/18.html] [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UWALawRw/1995/18.pdf]. [https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/uwatlw25&div=20&id=&page= HeinOnline]. This is a reprint of M D Kirby, "Ex Tempore Reasons " (1992) 9 Australian Bar Review 93 (No 2). *Roger McCarthy, [https://www.familylaw.co.uk/news_and_comment/McCarthy-NovFLJ2012 "How good do ex tempore judgments need to be?"], Family Law, 5 November 2012 * "Ex tempore judgments" in [https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/journal/issues/vol-64-issue-03/when-delay-is-not-fatal/ "When delay is not fatal"] (2019) 64 Journal of the Law Society of Scotland (No 3: March 2019, 18 March 2019) *Lorraine Walker. [https://coat.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ex-tempore-decisions.pdf "Ex tempore decisions"]. COAT. *Michael Cross, [https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/public-law-not-very-public-research-suggests/5111763.article "Public law not very public, research suggests"] (2022) The Law Society Gazette, 8 March 2022 *Daniel Hoadley, Joe Tomlinson, Editha Nemsic and Cassandra Somers-Joce, "How Public is Public Law? The Current State of Open Access to Administrative Court Judgments" in "Practice and Procedure" (2022) 27 Judicial Review 95 (Issue 2: 22 September 2022) [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10854681.2022.2111966 Taylor and Francis]. *J E Cote, "The Oral Judgment Practice in the Canadian Appellate Courts" (2003) 5 Journal of Appellate Practice & Process 435 (No 2: Fall 2003) [https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/jappp5&div=40&id=&page= HeinOnline] [https://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/appellate/article/id/2811/ University of Arizona] *Theo Tsavdaridis. [https://localcourt.nsw.gov.au/documents/judicial-speeches/Presentation_-_Oral_Decisions_in_the_Real_World_-_National_Judicial_College_of_Australia_-_Oral_Judgments_Course_-_Deputy_Chief_Magistrate_Tsavdaridis_30.6.2022.pdf "Oral Decisions in the Real World"]. (Oral Judgments Course). National Judicial College of Australia. 30 June 2022. *Arthur R Emmett, "Towards the Civil Law?: The Loss of 'Orality' in Civil Litigation in Australia" (2003) 26(2) UNSW Law Journal 447 [http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UNSWLawJl/2003/36.html AustLII] {{Reflist}}

Category:Civil procedure Category:Judicial legal terminology Category:Latin legal terminology