A judgment is the final determination of the rights of the parties in an action or proceeding.
§ 577.Definition
Title 8. Of the Trial and Judgment In Civil Actions · Chapter 1. Judgment in General · Enacted 1872 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 577 defines a judgment as the court's final determination of the rights of the parties in an action or proceeding, the foundational definition that every other judgment and dismissal provision in this title builds on.
Full Text of § 577
Plain-English Summary
Every procedural rule about judgments has to start somewhere, and this is where California's starts. A judgment is the court's final word on the rights of the parties — not a passing ruling on a motion, not a comment from the bench, but the determination that closes out the dispute (or a defined piece of it) between the parties before the court.
That word "final" carries weight. It's what separates a judgment from the interlocutory orders that come and go during a case — rulings on discovery disputes, in limine motions, or continuances. Those orders manage the litigation; a judgment ends it, which is why judgments (unlike most orders) are generally what a losing party appeals.
The sections that follow in this chapter fill in the details: how relief is capped by what the complaint demands (§ 580), how judgment can run for or against some but not all parties (§ 578, § 579), and how an action can end instead through dismissal (§ 581) or a judgment resting on the merits (§ 582). All of them assume the baseline definition this section supplies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does California law mean by a "judgment"?
Section 577 defines it as the final determination of the rights of the parties in an action or proceeding — the decision that resolves the case, or a defined part of it, rather than a routine ruling along the way.
Is every court order a judgment?
No. Most rulings issued during a case — on motions, continuances, or discovery — are not final determinations of the parties' rights and so are not judgments in this sense.
Why does the definition of a judgment matter procedurally?
Because so many other rules, including the right to appeal and the deadlines in this title, turn on whether a ruling counts as a judgment rather than an interim order.
Amendment History
Enacted 1872.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: definition of judgment californiawhat counts as a final judgment california civil procedure