The Volokh Conspiracy
Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent
Blackstone on precedent and interpretation
An interesting line from Blackstone's letters:
"Precedents are Laws interpreted by Usage; & if there has been no Interpretation, we must resort to the Law itself."
"Letter 18. To Randle Wilbraham, 9 January 1753 [draft]," in The Letters of Sir William Blackstone 1744–1780, at 26 (W. R. Prest ed. 2006) (Selden Society Supplementary Series vol. 14).