The ‘decision’ of a case is the action the court took. It is often announced at the very end of the opinion. For example, an appeals court might ‘affirm’ a lower court decision, upholding it, or it might ‘reverse’ the decision, ruling for the other side. Alternatively, an appeals court might ‘vacate’ the lower court decision, wiping the lower-court decision off the books, and send it back to the lower court for further proceedings.
Remember:
When a higher court ‘affirms’ a case it means that the lower court had it right (in result, if not in reasoning). Words like ‘reverse’, ‘remand’ and ‘vacate’ means that the higher court though the lower court had it wrong.
