Talk:Dictum

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[edit] Confused article

I have made major changes to this article, which was highly misleading. A classic mistake of a beginning law student is to use the term dictum/dicta for obiter dictum/dicta, which is simply incorrect. The article made this elementary mistake and was written as if they were the same thing, which error being compounded by a "contrast obiter dictator" statement, adding further confusion.

The term dictum on its own barely deserves an article, but its worth putting this here just to make sure. Please discuss any attempt to revert to what was before here first. Francis Davey 20:28, 28 July 2005 (UTC)

Although I agree the new version is technically correct, the use of "dictum" as shorthand for "obiter dictum" is hardly confined to beginning law students, but also sees print in the pages of prestigious law journals. --Delirium 02:49, 25 January 2007 (UTC)