set a precedent

Establish a usage, tradition, or standard to be followed in the future. For example, He set a precedent by having the chaplain lead the academic procession. The word precedent here signifies a previous instance or legal decision upon which future instances are based, a usage dating from the early 1400s. In British and American law it more specifically refers to a legal decision that may be used as a standard in subsequent cases.

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Example Sentences

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The lawsuit argues that, unchallenged, these actions could set a precedent for the rest of the country with “devastating consequences.”

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While the sum demanded by Mr Lliuya was very low, the case has become a cause celebre for climate change activists, who hope that it will set a precedent for holding powerful firms to account.

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“This project will set a precedent for bypassing well-established environmental laws.”

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But perhaps more worrying, it could also set a precedent for California communities devastated by wildfires in the future.

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But Hungary's criticism of the ICC as "politically biased" and its decision to withdraw as Netanyahu visits may set a precedent for other nations to question or abandon their commitments to international justice based on political alliances or disagreements with specific rulings.

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