The order of the court of appeals determining an appeal upon certified questions shall certify its answers to the questions certified and direct entry of the appropriate judgment or order.
§ 5614.Disposition upon certified questions.
Article 56. Appeals to the Court of Appeals · Last amended 1963 · Last verified July 21, 2026
In one sentenceCPLR 5614 requires that when the Court of Appeals decides an appeal brought on certified questions of law, its order must certify the answers to those questions and direct entry of the judgment or order those answers call for.
Full Text of CPLR 5614
Plain-English Summary
A certified-question appeal starts life narrow: instead of taking the whole case, the Court of Appeals is asked to answer specific questions of law that the Appellate Division, or the order granting permission to appeal, has framed. CPLR 5614 tells the Court of Appeals what its own order has to do once it decides those questions.
The order determining the appeal must certify the court's answers to the certified questions, so the record shows plainly how each question was resolved. And it must direct entry of whatever judgment or order those answers call for, so the certification doesn't sit on its own; it drives a concrete disposition in the case rather than leaving the parties to work out the consequences themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a certified-question appeal to the Court of Appeals?
It's an appeal where specific questions of law, rather than the whole case, are certified for the Court of Appeals to answer.
What must the Court of Appeals's order include under CPLR 5614?
Certified answers to each certified question and a direction to enter the judgment or order those answers require.
Why does the Court of Appeals certify answers instead of just ruling?
Certification ties the court's legal conclusions directly to the questions the Appellate Division or the permission order framed, so the record shows exactly how each was resolved.
Does the Court of Appeals still have to direct a judgment after answering certified questions?
Yes. CPLR 5614 requires its order to direct entry of the judgment or order that follows from the certified answers.
How does CPLR 5614 relate to CPLR 5612?
CPLR 5612(b) sets the presumption about unaddressed fact questions in certified-question appeals, and CPLR 5614 governs what the Court of Appeals's order must state once it decides the certified questions.
Advisory Committee Notes
This section is taken from the last sentence of CPA § 589(4)(b) with only minor language changes.
Amendment History
Add, L 1962, ch 308, eff Sept 1, 1963.
Source & verification. Provision text, History, and Advisory
Committee Notes are reproduced verbatim from the Consolidated Laws of New York.
Last verified July 21, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: certified questions Court of Appealscertify answers to questions of lawcertified question appeal New York5614 disposition order