(a) Except as hereinafter provided, the judgment file, where it is necessary that it be prepared pursuant to Section 6-3, shall be signed by the clerk or assistant clerk unless otherwise ordered by the judicial authority.
Section 6-4.—Signing of Judgment File
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceThis rule says who signs a Connecticut judgment file once it is prepared, requires both attorneys to certify accuracy in dissolution cases, and lets another judge sign if the trial judge dies or becomes incapacitated before signing.
Full Text of Section 6-4
(b) In all actions involving dissolution of marriage or civil union where counsel have appeared for both the plaintiff and the defendant, unless the judicial authority shall order otherwise, counsel for the parties shall endorse their approval of the judgment file immediately below the line for the subscribing authority in the following words: ‘‘I hereby certify that the foregoing judgment file conforms to the judgment entered by the court’’; the clerk or assistant clerk, after ascertaining that the terms of the judgment have been correctly incorporated into the judgment file, may sign any judgment file so endorsed.
(c) In those cases in which there is no provision in this section for a clerk to sign a judgment file and in which a case has been tried and judgment has been directed in open court or by memorandum of decision and the trial judge shall die or become incapacitated before the judgment file is signed, any judge holding such court may examine the docket and file and, if it appears therefrom that the issues have been definitely decided and that the only thing remaining to be done is the signing of the judgment file, the judgment file may be drawn up by that judge or under that judge’s direction and signed by him or her.
(d) Whenever a clerk or assistant clerk signs a judgment file, the signer’s name shall be legibly typed or printed beneath such signature.
Amendment History
(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 338.) (Amended June 24, 2002, to take effect Jan. 1, 2003; amended June 26, 2006, to take effect Jan. 1, 2007.)
Plain-English Summary
Section 6-4 covers signing a judgment file after it has been prepared under Section 6-3. The clerk or assistant clerk signs it unless the judicial authority orders otherwise. In dissolution of marriage or civil union actions where attorneys have appeared for both the plaintiff and the defendant, counsel for both sides must endorse the judgment file just below the signature line with a certification that it conforms to the judgment the court entered; once that’s done, the clerk or assistant clerk may sign after confirming the judgment’s terms were correctly incorporated.
The rule also covers what happens if the trial judge dies or becomes incapacitated before signing a judgment file, in a case where no other provision lets a clerk sign it, after the case was tried and judgment was directed in open court or by memorandum of decision. Any judge holding that court may look at the docket and file, and if the issues were definitely decided and signing is the only thing left, that judge may have the judgment file drawn up and sign it. Whenever a clerk or assistant clerk signs a judgment file, their name has to be legibly typed or printed underneath the signature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who signs a Connecticut judgment file?
The clerk or assistant clerk signs it unless the judicial authority orders otherwise.
Do attorneys have to approve a divorce judgment file before it’s signed?
Yes, when counsel appeared for both the plaintiff and the defendant in a dissolution of marriage or civil union case, both attorneys must endorse the judgment file certifying it conforms to the judgment entered.
What happens if the trial judge dies before signing the judgment file?
Any judge holding that court may review the docket and file, and if the issues were definitely decided and only the signature is missing, that judge may have the judgment file drawn up and sign it.
Does a clerk’s signature on a judgment file need to be printed as well?
Yes, whenever a clerk or assistant clerk signs a judgment file, their name must also be legibly typed or printed beneath the signature.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 6-4). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
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