Also known as: case by case basis · case-by-case · ad hoc · individualized
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A method of legal decision-making that requires evaluating the facts and circumstances of each individual matter rather than applying a categorical rule. This approach ensures that outcomes turn on the specific details presented instead of a uniform prohibition or mandate. It commonly appears when courts or agencies must weigh competing interests or assess qualifications without mechanical formulas.
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The city allows its officials to grant occasional exemptions from the same-sex certification rule when special circumstances arise. A religious foster agency applies for an exemption citing its sincerely held beliefs. Officials review the agency's history of placements and the particular children involved before deciding whether to grant the request.
An applicant receives an automatic point boost solely because of race under the university's formula. The admissions office never examines the applicant's individual background or contributions. The court finds the mechanical award fails to provide the required individualized consideration.
The law school admissions committee reads each file in full and weighs race alongside leadership, work experience, and academic trajectory. No single factor automatically determines admission. The process satisfies strict scrutiny because it treats every applicant as an individual.
The jury hears testimony about the defendant's mental condition and deliberates whether that evidence warrants a sentence less than death. The court instructs jurors to decide based on the particular facts of the crime and the defendant's personal circumstances rather than a fixed category.
A grandmother seeks permission to live with her grandchildren in a single-family zone that limits occupancy to nuclear families. City officials inspect the specific household composition and the impact on neighborhood character before ruling on the request.
A child welfare agency receives reports of abuse but decides not to remove the child after reviewing the family's particular history and available services. The court later examines whether that individualized judgment created a constitutional duty to act.
A policy is not generally applicable if officials retain discretionary power to grant individualized exemptions. Once that discretion exists, the government must satisfy strict scrutiny to enforce the policy against a religious claimant. The presence of even occasional exemptions defeats general applicability.
Automatic points based solely on race substitute a mechanical formula for genuine review of each applicant's unique qualities. The Supreme Court has held that such predominant mechanical use of race prevents the narrow tailoring demanded by strict scrutiny. Holistic review that treats race as one factor among many is required instead.
…in Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas , 416 U. S. 1, this Court did not review the substance of any zoning ordinances. The case-by-case development of the constitutional limits on the zoning power has not, therefore, taken place in this Court. On the other hand, during the past half century the broad formulations found in…
…are not unlimited. See Friendly, supra , 123 U. Pa. L. Rev., at 1276, 1303. But more is implicated in cases of this type than ad hoc
…during the post-adjudicatory or dispositional hearing for a wide-ranging review of the child's social history and for his individualized treatment will remain unimpaired. Similarly, there will be no effect on the procedures distinctive to juvenile proceedings that are employed prior to the adjudicatory hearing. The Court of…
…with maternal ancestors." Id., at 52 , 329 N. E. 2d, at 240. Alluding to the possibilities of abuse, the court rejected a case-by-case approach to claims based on alleged paternity. Id., at 52-53 , 329 N. E. 2d, at 240-241. The more serious problems of proving paternity might justify a more demanding standard for…
…woman under abstract circumstances and received an abstract trial on abstract issues. Murder cases are apt to be peculiarly individualized
The school must show that it evaluates every applicant as an individual and considers race only as one element in a broader assessment of diversity contributions. Courts defer to the school's academic judgment on the educational value of diversity while still examining whether the process avoids mechanical or predominant reliance on race.
Case-by-case analysis requires courts and agencies to weigh all relevant factors, including any existing non-cohabitation orders, for each child. A blanket prohibition eliminates that individualized inquiry and assumes the outcome for an entire category of placements.