Judgment vs Order
Judgment and Order are two legal terms that show a lot of differences between them. In fact judgment and order are two of the most common terms heard in a court. The very meanings of the words judgment and order differ much. First let us define the two words. Judgment is the final decision of the judge by which a lawsuit gets closed, or a case comes to an end. On the other hand, an order does not end a case or clears a prosecution for that matter. This highlights that a clear difference exists between the two words. Through this article let us examine the differences between the two words while gaining a better understanding of each word.
What is a Judgment?
As mentioned above, a judgment is the final decision of the judge by which a lawsuit gets closed, or a case comes to an end. It is, in fact, a decision that clears a prosecution. The content of a judgment includes the conditions to be followed in connection with the resolutions for controversies. It also has details regarding the charges and the penalties to be paid by the parties and other obligations. There are other statements in the judgment too regarding who the winning party is. This is the main difference between the content of the judgment and the court order.
It is very important to know that judgments are pronounced and written down because of their lengthy content under a certain format. It is certainly considered a document to be safeguarded.
Judgments virtually end court cases because they are pronounced after all factual presentations, questioning of evidence, interrogation and other procedures concerned with the case. Hence, it is otherwise called the final verdict.
What is an Order?
Unlike a judgment, an order does not end a case or clears a prosecution. A court order normally does not contain big content. On the other hand, it has only a small content including details regarding the date of the case. Another interesting difference between judgment and court order is that a judgment follows a certain format. On the other hand, a court order does not follow any format.
A court order is not considered a document, and hence it is sometimes pronounced verbally by the judge in some cases. A court order is proclaimed by the court judge. It can be said that a court order establishes the connection between the involved parties in the concerned case. It is indeed a dictation of what has to be done by each of the parties in connection with the concerned case. It is interesting to note that a court order if not pronounced but written down would be signed by none other than the court judge.
What is the Difference Between a Judgment and an Order?
Definitions of Judgment and Order:
Judgment: Judgment is the final decision of the judge by which a lawsuit gets closed, or a case comes to an end.
Order: An order does not end a case or clears a prosecution.
Characteristics of Judgment and Order:
Content:
Judgment: A judgment contains a big content including the conditions to be followed in connection with the resolutions for controversies, charges and the penalties to be paid by the parties and other obligations.
Order: A court order normally does not contain big content including details regarding the date of the case.
Format:
Judgment: A judgment follows a certain format.
Order: A court order does not follow any format.
Nature:
Judgment: Judgments are pronounced and written down because of their lengthy content under a certain format. It is certainly considered a document to be safeguarded.
Order: A court order is not considered a document and hence it is sometimes pronounced verbally by the judge in some cases.
Image Courtesy:
1. “ICJ-CJI hearing 1“. [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons
2. “CourtGavel” by Jonathunder – Own work. [GFDL] via Wikimedia Commons
