enter a judgment

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Enter a judgment means to make a final recording of the decision and the opinion, if the court made one. When the entry is complete depends on the jurisdiction, but entering a judgment usually either occurs after the decision is inserted into the docket or sent to a specified official. In many cases, a clerk must enter a judgment before a judgment can be appealed. Normally after the judgment is entered, the court clerk must send the parties a copy of the judgment and opinion. 

[Last updated in July of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]