Also known as: from day to day · day-to-day
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A Latin phrase denoting action or status that occurs from one day to the next or on a daily basis. It describes ongoing daily conduct or care rather than sporadic or one-time events.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Dominic Drake lived with his niece and prepared her meals, supervised homework, and handled bedtime routines each evening. When a custody dispute arose, the court examined whether this pattern satisfied the requirement of exercising day-to-day care. The consistent daily involvement established the necessary physical custody element.
Demetrius Douglas coordinated school transportation and medical appointments for his partner's child while the parent was unavailable. He made these choices alone on weekdays and consulted the parent on weekends. The court credited this pattern of daily decisions in determining whether a substantial relationship existed.
Dawson Steel's plant manager issued production directives each morning to meet shifting customer demands. The directives continued without interruption throughout the workweek. This ongoing daily oversight became central to evaluating the scope of executive authority during the dispute.
Philadelphia National Bank conducted transaction reviews and compliance checks on successive business days. Regulators examined whether these repeated daily activities amounted to ongoing competitive conduct. The pattern of successive-day operations informed the market-concentration analysis.
City workers adjusted the lighting and inspected the creche components each morning during the display period. The routine daily upkeep ensured the scene remained intact for public viewing. This successive-day attention figured in assessing whether the display conveyed a religious message.
Public-school teachers provided remedial services to eligible students at a religious school on consecutive weekdays. The services followed a fixed daily schedule throughout the school year. The regularity of this day-to-day delivery shaped the inquiry into whether the program created an impermissible entanglement.
It requires proof that a person lives with the child and performs care functions on successive days rather than intermittently. Courts look for a pattern of daily involvement in meals, supervision, and routines.
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It focuses on whether the nonparent made choices about the child's daily needs either alone or together with a custodial parent. Isolated or weekly decisions fall short of the required daily pattern.
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Yes. It emphasizes continuity across successive days, so sporadic interventions do not satisfy the standard even if they are important when they occur.
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…appropriate to govern local affairs. Use of any such broad, unbounded judicial authority would make of this Court's members a day-to-day constitutional convention. I repeat so as not to be misunderstood that this Court does have power, which it should exercise, to hold laws unconstitutional where they are forbidden by the…