LANDMARK

landmark. 1. A feature of land (such as a natural object, or a monument or marker) that demarcates the boundary of the land <according to the 1891 survey, the crooked oak tree is the correct landmark at the property’s northeast corner>. [Cases: Boundaries  4, 5. C.J.S. Boundaries §§ 3, 5–7.] 2. A historically significant building or site <the schoolhouse built in 1898 is the county’s most famous landmark>. See MONUMENT. [Cases: Environmental Law  61–103.] LANDMARK DECISION

landmark decision.A judicial decision that significantly changes existing law. • Examples are Brown v. Board of Educ., 347 U.S. 483, 74 S.Ct. 686 (1954) (holding that segregation in public schools violates the Equal Protection Clause), and Palsgraf v. Long Island R.R., 162 N.E. 99 (N.Y. 1928) (establishing that a defendant’s duty in a negligence action is limited to plaintiffs within the apparent zone of danger — that is, plaintiffs to whom damage could be reasonably foreseen). — Also termed landmark case. Cf. LEADING CASE.

[Blacks Law 8th]