Without going into the specifics of the charge, the defendant was found guilty of violating an obscure state law in a county court. Since the law was enacted a century ago, not a single person has been charged with violating it in the state. As a result, this case was essentially new territory for state prosecutors and the presiding county court judge. The case is being appealed. The defense attorney is confident that the verdict will be overturned based on a failure of what they perceive as the judge not abiding by precedent. This claimed precedent refers to a recent highly publicized case in another state that involved a similar law. As a noted legal scholar, the state judiciary has called you in to assess the validity of the appeal. When asked for your preliminary thoughts by a senior state prosecutor, specifically if you believe the judge failed to follow precedent in offering his opinion, how do you respond