By Chinua Asuzu
Appellate courts don’t “upturn” lower-court decisions.
Nor do subsequent courts “upturn” precedent-court decisions.
They may overturn them, however.
Black’s Law Dictionary, 11th ed., defines overturn as “To overrule or reverse.”
Regarding “upturn,” a literal word with little figurative potential, Black’s deems it ineligible for inclusion in a law dictionary.
