Certainty in the law is achieved through the rules of statutory interpretation and through the operation of the doctrine of precedent.” Discuss

... Certainty in the law is achieved through the rules of statutory interpretation and through the operation of the doctrine of precedent." Discuss. In England and Wales, as well as in other common law countries, the judicial process of decision making relies heavily on the doctrine of precedence. 'Judicial precedence' has two distinct meanings, it may either refer to a leading decision which should be followed in the future, or it may be understood as a process of applying previously decided cases. (Terence Ingman , The English Legal Process, p. 297) Only the obiter dicta, that is the statement of relevant legal principles, has a binding force, additional comments, known as ratio decidendi, are merely persuasive. One of the reasons why precedent has been successfully relied on for so many centuries is the doctrine of stare decisis, the doctrine compels lower courts to abide by the decisions of higher courts whenever the

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