Judgment (law)
Judgment, in law, the final decision by a judge as to the application of the law in a case that has been tried or heard in court. In a civil case, the judgment may be in the form of a decree, or declaration of legal rights. In a criminal case, the defendant having been found guilty, it is the sentence, or pronouncement of legal consequences.
There are many special types of judgments. One of the most common is the money judgment, in which the court orders one of the parties to a lawsuit to pay a sum of money to the other party (in fulfillment of a contract, for example). A declaratory judgment sets forth the legal rights of the parties. A peremptory judgment requires one or both of the parties (or, sometimes a public official) to perform a duty or to refrain from doing a particular act.