History
The Role of Precedent in Common Law Systems
Quick fact
In the English case Donoghue v Stevenson (1932), the House of Lords created the modern law of negligence by establishing a general duty of care—a precedent so powerful that it still shapes product liability and personal injury law across many countries today.
Why this is interesting
You probably follow rules every day—like stopping at a red light. But what if the rule itself was made by someone just like you, only earlier? In common law, that is exactly how judges create law: by following the decisions of judges who came before them.