Abstract
This paper aims to propose possible answers to the question “What is a precedent for the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court?”. Beyond theoretical debates regarding the reasons that support the binding of the solutions of current cases to previous cases (precedents), the text presents seven different possibilities for answering that question. All of which might be considered, to some extent, problematic for establishing an adequate implementation of precedents in court.
Keywords:
Precedents; Brazilian Federal Supreme Court; Authoritative reasons; Obiter dicta; Ratio decidendi; Ministrocracy