In Roman law, a decision or decree of the governing Roman chamber of government, that had the force of law, but it was made without the concurrence of the people: The senators agreed to a senatus consultum in order to expedite action regarding the national debt.

In modern times, a decree is a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record that is issued by a court or a judge, as opposed to the practice of senatus consultum in which a small group of law makers consulted and issued decrees that became the law of the land.