[ta0987]

IIUC Common law courts were supposed to be exactly that - that's where the concept of judicial precedent comes from. When a court hears a case and decides it's different enough from previous cases it makes a new ruling for that scenario which is now a precedent for other cases in that scenario. The collection of rulings built up over time is the law.

[matthewheath]

Indeed, although the system of precedent has its own challenges — bad law can be created by a court unilaterally and exist for years or decades before being overturned by a superior court.