Supra Definition and Legal Meaning

On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Supra, written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used.

What is Supra?

(n) The word supra is used to represent a decision, order judgment etc referred or mentioned in the document previously. The Latin word ‘soo – prah’ means above. When a case or decision is initially referred it contains full details , when its reference is again called later the details of the case or decision is substituted by the word ‘supra’

History and Meaning of Supra

The term "supra" comes from the Latin word "soo-prah", which means "above". In legal writing, it is used to indicate that a case or legal authority has already been mentioned or cited earlier in a document, and that the current reference is above or previously mentioned. Instead of repeating the full details of the case or authority, the word "supra" is used to refer to it.

This practice is used to avoid redundancy and make legal writing more concise and efficient. It allows lawyers and judges to quickly refer to previously cited sources without repeating the same information multiple times throughout a document.

Examples of Supra

  1. "As discussed supra, the defendant's liability for damages in this case is clear."
  2. "The court's decision in Jones v. Smith, supra, is highly relevant to the present case."
  3. "See supra note 3 for a more detailed explanation of the legal standard at issue."

Legal Terms Similar to Supra

  1. "Infra" - Latin for "below", used to refer to a citation or reference later in a document.
  2. "Idem" - Latin for "the same", used to refer to an earlier cited source that was mentioned just before.
  3. "Et seq." - Abbreviation for "et sequentia", meaning "and the following", used to indicate that a series of citations or authorities follow.