noun
discretionary power; discretionary authority
Legal and administrative term for the authority to make decisions based on one's own judgment within a given framework.
裁判官には一定の自由裁量権が認められている。
Judges are granted a certain amount of discretionary power.
この規則の運用は担当者の自由裁量権に委ねられている。
The application of this rule is left to the discretionary authority of the person in charge.
裁量 is a broader term for discretion or judgment, while 自由裁量権 specifically refers to the legal right or power to exercise that discretion.
Compound of 自由 (freedom) + 裁量 (discretion) + 権 (right, authority). The term is a direct conceptual borrowing from Western legal terminology, likely calqued from English 'discretionary power' or similar phrases.