What characterizes a majority opinion?

A majority opinion is characterized by the fact that it reflects the views and reasoning of more than half of the judges or justices who participated in deciding a given case. This opinion serves as the court's official ruling and establishes legal precedent, as it demonstrates a consensus regarding the interpretation of the law among those judges.

When a majority opinion is issued, it often becomes the legally binding decision that lower courts must follow, except when overruled by a higher court. The emphasis on having the support of more than half of the judges distinguishes it from other types of opinions that may be present in a case, such as dissenting or concurring opinions, which do not carry the same authoritative weight.

In contrast, an opinion that represents the views of all judges would require a unanimous decision, which is a different legal outcome. Similarly, including differing opinions would indicate the presence of dissent or concurring opinions, while not revealing the author would not accurately describe the common practice of identifying judges who write majority opinions. Thus, support from more than half of the court is a fundamental aspect of what characterizes a majority opinion.