decree (redirected from Decree-law)

A judgment of a court that announces the legal consequences of the facts found in a case and orders that the court's decision be carried out. A decree in Equity is a sentence or order of the court, pronounced on hearing and understanding all the points in issue, and determining the rights of all the parties to the suit, according to equity and good conscience. It is a declaration of the court announcing the legal consequences of the facts found. With the procedural merger of law and equity in the federal and most state courts under the Rules of Civil Procedure, the term judgment has generally replaced decree.

A divorce decree sets out the conclusions of the court relating to the facts asserted as grounds for the Divorce, and it subsequently dissolves the marriage.

Decree is sometimes used interchangeably with determination and order.

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decree n. in general, synonymous with judgment. However, in some areas of the law, the term decree is either more common or preferred as in probates of estates, domestic relations (divorce), admiralty law, and in equity (court rulings ordering or prohibiting certain acts). Thus, there may be references to a final or interlocutory decree of divorce, final decree of distribution of a dead person's estate, etc. (See: judgment)

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decree noun adjudgment, adjudication, authoritative decision, award, command, commandment, decision, decretum, dictate, direction, edict, edictum, fiat, final judgment, finding, imperative, interdiction, judgment, judicial decision, mandate, opinion, order, order of the court, placitum, proclamation, pronouncement, resolution, ruling, ruling of the court, senatus connultum, sentence, standing order, ukase, verdict
Associated concepts: alimony decree, annulment decree, bankruptcy decree, consent decree, declaratory decree, deeree for payment of money, decree for possession of propprty, decree nisi, decree of a court of competent jurisdiccion, decree of court of record, decree of dismissal, decree of distribution, decree of nullity, decree of support, decree pro confesso, default decree, deficiency decree, divorce decree, entry of decree, final decree, foreclosure decree, foreign decree, interlocutory decree, joint decree, judicial decree, summary decree, supplemental decree

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decree verb adjudge, adjudicate, award, charge, command, deliver judgment, dictate, direct, establish, exact, find, give judgment, give orders, impose, instruct, issue a fiat, issue a proclamation, issue a ukase, issue an edict, judge, order, pass judgment, prescribe, proclaim, promulgate, require, rule, sanction
Associated concepts: alimony decree, annulment decree, bankruptcy decree, consent decree, decree by confession, decree nisi, decree of dismissal, decree pro confesso, deeault decree, deficiency decree, divorce decree, entry of deeree, final decree, foreclosure decree, foreign decree, innerlocutory decree, summary decree, supplemental decree

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See also: adjudge, adjudicate, adjudication, appointment, approve, arbitrate, arbitration, assign, award, brevet, canon, charge, charter, citation, codification, cognovit, command, compel, conclude, conclusion, constitute, constrain, conviction, decide, decision, declaration, detail, determination, determine, dictate, direct, direction, directive, edict, enact, enactment, enforce, enjoin, establish, fiat, finding, finding of guilt, govern, hold, holding, impose, instruct, instruction, issuance, judge, judgment, law, legislate, mandamus, mandate, measure, mittimus, monition, necessitate, notice, opinion, order, ordinance, pass, pass judgment, precept, prescribe, prescription, press, proclamation, pronounce, pronouncement, regulation, require, requirement, res judicata, rule, ruling, sentence, statute, warrant, writ

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DECREE, practice. The judgment or sentence of a court of equity.
     2. It is either interlocutory or final. The former is given on some plea or issue arising in the cause, which does not decide the main question; the latter settles the matter in dispute, and a final decree has the same effect as a judgment at law. 2 Madd. Ch. 462; 1 Chan. Cas. 27; 2 Vern. 89; 4 Bro. P. C. 287.; Vide 7r-Vin[?]. Ab. 394; 7 Com. Dig. 445; 1 Supp. to Ves. Jr. 223 Bouv. Inst. Index, h.t.

DECREE, legislation. In some countries as in France, some acts of the legislature, or of the sovereign, which have the force of law, are called decrees; as, the Berlin and Milan decrees.