The term "separate decision" refers to a ruling made by a judge or judges in a case that is different from the majority opinion. In other words, it means that one or more judges have reached a conclusion that differs from the rest of the court on a particular issue or issues. This can occur when there are differing opinions among the members of the bench and they cannot come to a unanimous decision. A separate decision is usually written by the judge(s) who disagree with the majority opinion, explaining their reasoning for reaching a different conclusion.