judge-made
UK[ˈdʒʌdʒˌmeɪd]US[ˈdʒʌdʒˌmeɪd]
adj
(of a law, rule, or principle) created or established by judicial decisions rather than by a legislative body.
Morpheme Breakdown
judge
made
judge
made
Etymology
the compound "judge-made" is a modern legal term, first attested in the 19th century, which transparently combines the agent noun "judge" with the past participle "made." the term directly reflects its meaning: law that is "made by judges." the word "judge" itself has a deep history, originating from latin iudex, meaning "one who declares the law," from ius (law, right) and the root of dicere (to say). "made" descends from the old english verb macian, a common germanic term for creating or constructing. the compound thus logically denotes legal principles constructed through judicial pronouncement, in contrast to those enacted by a legislature.
Analysis
Structure: judge + made
- judge: from latin iudex (judge, umpire), via old french juge. functions as a noun used attributively to modify the second element.
- made: from old english macian (to make, form, construct). functions as a past participle, indicating something that has been created or formed.
Examples
the doctrine of precedent is a cornerstone of judge-made common law.
critics argued that the new standard was undesirable judge-made policy, not proper statutory interpretation.
the textbook distinguished between statutory law and judge-made law.