What does it mean for a case to be ripe and not moot?

A case being "ripe" means that it is ready for judicial review because the issues are fully developed and present a concrete problem that the court can address. It signifies that the matter is current and has not yet reached the point of being moot, which would imply that the underlying issue has resolved itself or is no longer relevant, thereby leaving the court with nothing to adjudicate.

In this context, stating that a case must be current and that there are no other options left to resolve it encapsulates the essence of "ripeness." It indicates that the parties involved have exhausted other potential remedies or solutions, and the court's intervention is necessary to address the substantive legal issue at hand.

The other options do not capture the legal principles of ripeness and mootness effectively. Debates or interpretations related to the case (as suggested in the second option) do not directly relate to the urgency or readiness of the case for ruling. The third option relates to precedents but doesn’t address the present status of the case itself. Finally, dealing with hypothetical situations or advisory rulings (the fourth option) suggests a situation that lacks concrete facts necessary for a legal decision, which typically falls outside the bounds of ripe cases.