advisory opinion

noun

, Law.

1. a formal opinion that is given on a point of law by a court, judge, or judges on request from a legislature or government official, contrasted with an opinion in a case at law where the point is being adjudicated.

Example Sentences

Moreover, a memo from the JSC instructs judges that ethics rules require that judicial campaign ads not “diminish public confidence” in the courts or be “intentionally misleading,” and it’s not clear if the JSC is even investigating Riggs or preparing to issue a “formal advisory opinion.”

From Slate

Just after it was set to take effect, however, Attorney General Mike Hilgers, a Republican, issued an advisory opinion declaring that the law violated the Nebraska Constitution.

From Slate

Mauritius, which won independence from the UK in 1968, maintains that the islands are its own and the United Nations' highest court has ruled, in an advisory opinion, that the UK's administration of the territory is "unlawful" and must end.

From BBC

The resolution is based on a July advisory opinion from the UN's highest court that said Israel was occupying the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip against international law.

From BBC

The UK’s ambassador, Barbara Woodward, explained that it had abstained “not because we do not support the central findings of the ICJ's advisory opinion, but rather because the resolution does not provide sufficient clarity to effectively advance our shared aim of a peace premised on a negotiated two-state solution”.

From BBC