The article covers the doctrinal issues of judicial precedent and case law in the legal doctrine, substantiates the need for formalization and official recognition of the actual role of the decisions of the supreme courts in similar cases. Traditional doctrinal delimitation and contrasting case law and judicial practice leads to refuse of taking into account the positive experience of the functioning of case law in common law countries. Taking into account such experience would help to satisfy the demands of the court practice in raising the significance of the decisions of the supreme courts in similar cases. In Ukraine, as in many post-Soviet countries, there is a tendency to refuse explanations of legislation on the basis of summarizing of court practice, and at the same time formalization and official recognition of the bindiness and normativity of decisions of the supreme courts in specific cases. In this regard, the peculiarities of the introducing and development of the case law of the Supreme Court in Ukraine at various stages are analyzed. Also highlighted their positive and negative aspects.