Advisory Opinion

An advisory opinion is an opinion issued by a court or a commission like an election commission that does not have the effect of adjudicating a specific legal case, but merely advises on the constitutionality or interpretation of a law. Some countries have procedures by which the executive or legislative branches may certify important questions to the judiciary and obtain an advisory opinion. In other countries or specific jurisdictions, courts may be prohibited from issuing advisory opinions.

Famous quotes containing the words advisory and/or opinion:

    “At the heart of the educational process lies the child. No advances in policy, no acquisition of new equipment have their desired effect unless they are in harmony with the child, unless they are fundamentally acceptable to him.”
    —Central Advisory Council for Education. Children and Their Primary Schools (Plowden Report)

    “We too had many pretty toys when young;
    A law indifferent to blame or praise,
    To bribe or threat; habits that made old wrong
    Melt down, as it were wax in the sun’s rays;
    Public opinion ripening for so long
    We thought it would outlive all future days.”
    —William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)