res integra
Meaning. A legal question not yet decided by any binding authority, so the court must decide it from principle.
Literally “an untouched thing”. A point is res integra when no precedent binding on the court has decided it. The court then reasons from the statute, from principle and from persuasive authority, such as foreign decisions or obiter remarks, and its decision itself becomes a precedent.
Once a binding court has decided the point, it is no longer res integra, and lower courts must follow that decision. Lawyers say “the question is no longer res integra” to mean that it is settled by authority. Do not confuse it with res judicata, which bars the same parties from reopening a decided dispute.
Example
The question is no longer res integra: the Supreme Court has settled that the right to privacy is part of Article 21.