The Justices on the Supreme Court do not have to adhere to precedent ~ after all, it's their job to establish precedent.
Their job is to decide the Constitutionality -- it is or it isn't -- of the particular case before it. Adhering to precedents, referring to precedents, or establishing new ones is auxiliary.
89 posted on 04/03/2005 7:18:18 PM PDT by yankeedame
("Born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.")