Law of the case Doctrine Definition: When a court decides upon a rule of law, that decision should continue to govern the same issues in subsequent stages in the same case. Related Terms: Stare Decisis, Mandate Rule In Re Scrivner, Justice Tacha of the US Court of Appeals used these words:"The doctrine of the law of the case posits that when a court decides upon a rule of law, that decision should continue to govern the same issues in subsequent stages in the same case."In addition, the doctrine requires every court to follow the decisions of courts that are higher in the judicial hierarchy."Similarly, in Long v Burton:"The law of the case is a rule of appellate procedure whereby, once an appellate court has answered a question of law in a given case, the issue is settled for all future proceedings."REFERENCES: Duhaime, Lloyd, Duhaime's Legal Dictionary Duhaime, Lloyd, Duhaime's Legal Citations & AbbreviationsDuhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Mandate RuleDuhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Stare Decisis In re Scrivner, 535 F. 3d 1258 (US Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit, 2008)Long v. Burson, 957 A. 2d 173 (Maryland Court of Special Appeals, 2008) Categories & Topics: Civil Litigation & Evidence Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!