Judges at all levels of the state and federal judiciaries are expected to resolve legal disputes by examining prior positive law, such as text and precedent, and then providing transparent explanations for their decisions. Of course, there are many situations in which the binding legal text is vague, and the applicable law is unhelpful, incomplete, or even contradictory. In those circumstances, judges must, out of necessity, fill in the gaps of the law or simply extend or narrow prior law as best they can.