According to the passage, the realists argued that which one of the following is true of a common-law system? A. It gives rise to numerous situations in which the decisions of earlier judges are found to be in error by later judges. B. It possesses a clear set of legal rules in theory, but in practice most judges are unaware of the strict meaning of those rules. C. Its strength lies in the requirement that judges decide cases according to precedent rather than according to a set of abstract principles. D. It would be improved if judges refrained from willfully misinterpreting the written opinions of prior judges. E. It treats the difference between the holding and the dicta in a written opinion rather loosely in practice.