1. Judge Dullard is a trial judge in State X. He is in a quandary over a recent case filed in his court. There are several state Supreme Court cases from the 1960s and 1970s applying a common law rule that is the opposite of a rule stated in a 1982 statute. He believes the rule contained in the statute is bad public policy and the common law rule is better. How should he decide this case?
2. Explain how the doctrine of stare decisis not only produces stability and predictability in the common law, but also enables the common law to evolve to meet changing social conditions.