Also known as: judgement · judgments · judgements · court decision · ruling · decree
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A court's final determination of the rights and obligations of the parties in a case. The term encompasses equitable decrees and any order from which an appeal lies.
Jenkins Apparel borrowed from Jefferson Trust to purchase equipment and later defaulted on the loan. The trust foreclosed and sold the collateral at auction for less than the outstanding balance. The trust then pursued Jenkins Apparel personally for the shortfall amount.
Jamal Jefferson was convicted after a jury trial on fraud charges. His attorney moved for a new trial citing prejudicial evidentiary errors that undermined fairness. The district court vacated the conviction and ordered a retrial.
Judge June Jiang was assigned a contract dispute involving her brother-in-law's company. She stepped aside rather than allow the relationship to shape her decision on the merits.
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Jordan Dynamics agreed to pay attorney fees for its employee Jasmine Jordan in a regulatory investigation. The lawyer confirmed that the payer would not direct strategy or affect the advice given to the client.
Jerome Jackson sued Jennings Forge in state court. The defendant removed the case to federal court on diversity grounds. The district court later discovered incomplete diversity and remanded the action before any final ruling on the merits.
John Jones contracted to buy custom machinery from Joy Jiang's company. Jones accepted the goods but refused to pay. Jiang sued for the contract price and retained the identified equipment pending collection.
When the foreclosure sale price falls short of the debt, the mortgagee may obtain a personal judgment against the mortgagor for the difference unless state law prohibits or limits such recovery.
A court may vacate any judgment and grant a new trial on the defendant's motion if required in the interest of justice, and may take additional testimony and enter a new judgment after a nonjury trial.
A judge must not allow family, social, political, financial, or other interests or relationships to influence judicial conduct or judgment.
A lawyer may accept compensation from a third party only if the client gives informed consent, there is no interference with the lawyer's independent professional judgment or the client-lawyer relationship, and client information remains protected.
If at any time before final judgment it appears the district court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the case must be remanded, and the order may require payment of costs and attorney fees incurred from the removal.
The seller must hold identified goods still in control for the buyer, may resell them before collection if resale becomes possible, and must credit the buyer with net proceeds while entitling the buyer to any unsold goods upon payment.