In commenting on Justice Sandra Day's retirement, the New York Times referred to "bright-line rules", as follows:

"If you are a lawyer with a case at the court, pitch your arguments to her [Justice Day]. ... Don't bother with doctrinaire assertions and bright-line rules."

O'Connor Held Balance of Power
The O'Connor Court
New York Times, Saturday, July 2, 2005

http://snipurl.com/fzdy

Looks like "bright-line rules" are the opposite of "principles-based standards"

The same issue has been discussed in terms of accounting standards for publicly traded corporations:

"During his time as SEC chief accountant, Robert K. Herdman captured concerns with recent standard setting before a congressional subcommittee: “[E]xtremely detailed rules that attempt to contemplate virtually every application of the standard … encourage a check-the-box mentality to financial reporting that eliminates judgments.”

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"the quest for bright-line accounting rules has shifted the goal of professional judgment from consideration of the best accounting treatment to concern for parsing the letter of the rule."

http://snipurl.com/g0cx