Per Curiam Definition & Meaning

American

Etymology

Examples

per curiam American [per kyoor-ee-am] / pər ˈkyʊər iˌæm /

adverb

Law.

1. (of an opinion or decision) by the court as a whole rather than in the name of a particular judge.

   a judgment rendered per curiam.

Etymology

Origin of per curiam

< Medieval Latin: literally, through the court

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"For all the rhetoric of the dissents, today’s order and per curiam confirm that the detainees subject to removal orders under the AEA are entitled to notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal," they wrote.

From Salon

They took this case and treated it as if it were a cert petition, which means they were going to hear it on the merits, and they issued a per curiam decision, meaning a decision without giving any author.

From Slate

The court’s opinion was an unsigned per curiam, which means no single justice has authorship.

From Seattle Times

She wrote a separate concurrence that joined only that part of the per curiam that addresses Colorado and noted that she would have gone no further.

From Seattle Times

The “per curiam,” or “by the court,” opinion further emphasized that the court was speaking with a single voice.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.