Editing Judgment (law) (section)

==== United Kingdom ==== 

The [[Court of Appeal of England and Wales|Court of Appeal of England and Wales (Civil Division)]] has affirmed a common law duty to give reasons for a judgment, subject to some exceptions (such as an oral judgment or a summary judgment).<ref>''Flannery v Halifax Estate Agencies Ltd'', [1999] E.W.C.A. Civ. 811 at para 12, [2000] 1 W.L.R. 377 (U.K.).</ref> The Court also noted that providing reasons for judgment "is a function of due process, and therefore of justice."<ref name="auto9">''Flannery v Halifax Estate Agencies Ltd'', [1999] E.W.C.A. Civ. 811 at para 14, [2000] 1 W.L.R. 377 (U.K.).</ref> Interested parties must be able to determine why the court has made the decision in question. Furthermore, providing reasons for judgment serves a practical purpose insofar as it necessarily requires the court to engage in thoughtful consideration of the cases presented.<ref name="auto9"/> However, the Court also noted that the exercise of providing reasons for judgment is contextual and the standard of what is acceptable for a judgment will vary depending on the circumstances.<ref name="auto9"/> The court appears to propose that the ultimate requirement is the court explaining, in some way, why it has made the decision in question.<ref name="auto9"/>

The [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|UK Supreme Court]] has stated that where there has been a relatively long and expensive hearing/trial, it is important that the judgment (i) clearly identifies all the issues of fact and expert opinion that are in issue, and (ii) resolves in clear terms all such issues which are relevant on the judge's view of the law, and those issues which would be relevant if the judge's view of the law turns out to be wrong. Otherwise, there is a real risk of a complete or partial rehearing being ordered, which would bring the administration of law into disrepute.<ref>{{cite BAILII|litigants=Coventry & Ors v Lawrence & Anor|court=UKSC|division=|year=2014|num=13|para=17|eucase=|parallelcite=[2014] 1 AC 822|date=26 February 2014|courtname=Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|juris=England and Wales|ref=}}</ref>

Further, ''The Civil Procedure Rules 1998''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules & Practice Directions - Civil Procedure Rules |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.justice.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> state that a judgment or order takes effect on the day it is rendered unless the court specifies otherwise<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules & Practice Directions - Civil Procedure Rules |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.justice.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> and provide additional guidance on different types of judgments.

* ''Consent judgment'': a consent judgment is available where the parties agree on the terms of the judgment or order that should be made.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules & Practice Directions - Civil Procedure Rules |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.justice.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>
* ''Declaratory judgment'': a declaratory judgment can be made by the courts regardless of whether a remedy is being claimed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules & Practice Directions - Civil Procedure Rules |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.justice.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>
* ''Default judgment'': a default judgment is available where the defendant does not file acknowledgment of service or fails to file a defence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules & Practice Directions - Civil Procedure Rules |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.justice.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> A default judgment may be set aside or varied if he defendant demonstrates “a real prospect of successfully defending the claim” or where exceptional circumstances apply.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules & Practice Directions - Civil Procedure Rules |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.justice.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>
* ''Summary judgment'': a summary judgment is made without requiring a trial.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules & Practice Directions - Civil Procedure Rules |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.justice.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>  A court may grant a summary judgment if either the claimant or the defendant has no prospect of succeeding and “there is no other compelling reason why the case or issue should be disposed of at a trial.”<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules & Practice Directions - Civil Procedure Rules |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.justice.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>