If American judges are bound by earlier decisions, how can laws ever change?

Answer 1

The legislature and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Answer 2

Changing the law is up to the legislative branch of government, the Congress. The courts interpret the law as it stands. One judge might give a different interpretation than another judge. That gives reason for an appeal to a higher court. The Supreme Court of the U.S. is the final decision maker as to what a law means. If the people don't like a law, then they need to tell their representatives what they think so that the legislator can propose a change in the law. The administrative branch can also propose changes in the law. If the President or the Governor don't like a law, they can propose a change to the legislature. The people then have to vote on the change whether they agree or not.

Answer 3

They are not bound by earlier decisions by any means.

The concept of following the earlier decisions of a court is called precedence, and is the basis of Common Law. The idea behind it is that the public is used to a certain way of dong things and it is in the public interest to maintain consistency.

Most importanlty though, precedence is not binding, rather guiding.

Either way, that only has to do with judges rendering decisions. Laws are made and changed by legislative branches (Congress down to the City Council)

Answer 4

Cases with new facts that demand a review of the old decisions, and maybe overturning the old decisions, i.e. Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. The Board of Education, Topeka.

Public policy and other changes may affect the judge's decisions.

Answer 5

They change through our legislature and decisions made by the state courts or if taken further, the US Supreme Court