Advisory opinion - sustany/dvg GitHub Wiki

An advisory opinion is a court's nonbinding�interpretation of law. �It states the opinion of a court upon a legal question submitted by a legislature, government official, or another court. Parties seeking advisory opinions tend to do so to better understand their odds of winning a potential lawsuit before risking the expensive process of litigation.�

Federal courts cannot issue advisory opinions because of the Constitution's�case-or-controversy requirement.

State courts are not subject to the Constitution�s case or controversy requirement and are therefore free to issue advisory opinions so long as their state constitutions allow. See, for example, the�advisory opinion�of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court regarding civil unions.