Complex sentence: The search for the ratio (nale) of a case is akin to a process of mindreading; one searches the judgment for the abstract principles of law which have led to the decision and which have been applied to the facts before the court.
Split into simpler sentences: The search for the ratio of a case is akin to a process of mind-reading. One searches the judgment for the abstract principles of law which have led to the decision and which have been applied to the facts before the court.