Judgment
A judgment is the court final decision in a case — the order that resolves the claims and determines what the law requires of the parties, such as who owes whom what. In a civil case the judgment may follow a jury verdict or a bench decision; in a criminal case the judgment is the sentence imposed after a conviction. The judgment is the decision that can be appealed and that becomes enforceable by the government power if the losing party does not comply.
A judgment is the court final decision in a case — the order that resolves the claims and determines what the law requires of the parties, such as who owes whom what. In a civil case the judgment may follow a jury verdict or a bench decision; in a criminal case the judgment is the sentence imposed after a conviction. The judgment is the decision that can be appealed and that becomes enforceable by the government power if the losing party does not comply.
Example: A judgment is what makes a court decision enforceable: once the time to appeal runs out, the prevailing party can use judgment-enforcement tools — such as garnishment or liens on property — through the procedures federal and state law provide.
Common misconception: A judgment is not the same as an opinion. The opinion is the court written reasoning; the judgment is the operative order that says what happens. A case can have a long opinion and a one-line judgment — and it is the judgment, not the prose, that the parties must obey.