"find precedents" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It means to search for previous instances or examples of something in order to support a current argument or decision. Example: In order to strengthen our case, we must find precedents of similar lawsuits that were successful in court.
You can find precedents for anything you want in there.
You can find precedents for just about all of his actions in previous generations.
You can go out and find precedents and principles to buttress it.
Mr. Obama has ordered staff members to study transitions in 50 to 60 countries to find precedents for those under way in Tunisia and Egypt.
You often hear risk managers particularly those employed in the financial services industry—use the excuse "This is unprecedented". They assume that if they try hard enough, they can find precedents for anything and predict everything.
The question asked Thursday by the jury delved into a novel and complex area of law, setting off a flurry of legal research by both sides as they tried to find precedents to support the answer most likely to lead to the verdict they desired.
How thin the ice is can be seen by how deep down the sewer the government has to go to find precedent.
Huxley was on the mark about "our appetite for reality television," said Steven Wong Joness added that "he foresaw the birth control pill". Rocket travel, genetic engineering, virtual reality, antidepressants and even the Kardashians were all argued to find precedent in the novel.
Moreover, we did not find precedent for overlapping genes in P. falciparum [ 14].
The development and application of practical approaches for management of deleterious genes identified in small populations, including diagnosis of risk factors, identification of unaffected carriers, and breeding strategies to retain genetic variation in such populations with segregating lethal mutations will find precedent in these initial studies.
Even Surrealism finds precedents in Roman art.
