Kentucky Criminal Law and Justice Exam Practice 2026 – Comprehensive Test Prep

The binding authority of the U.S. Supreme Court on all courts. When the Supreme Court interprets a federal statute or decides a constitutional issue, every lower court must apply that interpretation in its own rulings. This ensures consistency across the judiciary and prevents conflicting results on federal questions. If the Court later overrules or clarifies a precedent, lower courts must follow the new controlling rule. States can have their own laws and protections, but they cannot contradict federal constitutional guarantees or statutes as interpreted by the Supreme Court. So, lower courts are obligated to apply the law as dictated by the Supreme Court rather than ignoring it, reinterpreting it themselves, or waiting for a state statute to do so.