Enter A Judgment Definition and Legal Meaning

On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Enter A Judgment, written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used.

What is Enter A Judgment?

v. to officially record a judgment on the “judgment roll,” which entry is normally performed by the court clerk once the exact wording of the judgment has been prepared or approved and signed by the trial judge. All times for appeal and other post-judgment actions are based on the date of the entry of judgment and not the date when the judgment is announced.

History and Meaning of Enter A Judgment

"Enter a judgment" is a legal term which means to make an official record of a court's decision or ruling. The process of entering a judgment typically involves the court clerk recording the exact wording of the judgment on the “judgment roll" once the trial judge has approved and signed it. The date of the entry of judgment is important as it serves as the starting point for calculating the time periods for filing of appeals or any other post-judgment actions.

Entering a judgment can be done on various types of cases such as criminal cases, civil cases, and family law cases. In civil cases, when the decision is made after the trial, the judgment will be entered by the clerk of the court at the request of a prevailing party. Once the judgment is entered, it becomes final and enforceable, unless it is appealed.

Examples of Enter A Judgment

  1. The judge has decided to enter his final judgment in the case and the clerk of the court will record it accordingly.
  2. The case was closed last week, but the clerk has yet to enter the judgment into the court records.
  3. After the judge authorized her to do so, the clerk entered judgment in favor of the plaintiff.

Legal Terms Similar to Enter A Judgment

  1. Appeal: An appellate court's consideration of a trial court's decision or judgment
  2. Final judgment: A judgment that disposes of all claims or issues between the parties and is therefore final and appealable.
  3. Default judgment: A finding by a court that a party has failed to respond to a complaint or summons, resulting in a judgment being entered against them.