What holds greater weight in legal decisions, a Restatement of the Law or a law review article?

A Restatement of the Law holds greater weight in legal decisions because it is a formulation of common law principles developed by legal scholars and practitioners under the auspices of the American Law Institute (ALI). These Restatements are intended to clarify and synthesize existing legal doctrines, making them authoritative summaries of the law. Courts often refer to Restatements when interpreting statutes or establishing legal precedents, as they provide a reliable framework that reflects well-established legal standards.

In contrast, a law review article is typically a scholarly piece written by legal academics or practitioners that discusses various issues of law or critiques existing legal thought. While law review articles can influence legal thought and provide insights, they do not carry the same authoritative weight in court decisions as a Restatement of the Law. This differentiation reflects the established role of Restatements in shaping and stating the law more definitively compared to the more subjective and often opinion-based analysis found in law review articles.

The other options do not recognize the hierarchical importance of these legal tools. Case law is indeed the highest authority, but when comparing Restatements with law review articles, the former is definitively more influential in judicial reasoning and legal interpretations.