Why (E)?

Hi @Richmond, thanks for your post. The concept of a "holding" is described and defined at lines 28-31 of the passage, which read: "the holding (the decision for or against the plaintiff and *the essential grounds or legal reasons for it,* that is, what subsequent judges are bound by"). The part between my asterisks is where the "justifies a decision" language comes from. Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any additional questions.