Sentencia (DCH) (Judgment (DCH))

No. 2021-14

Explanation of the legal meaning, scope and development of the judgment, as final part of the trial, in the context of canon law valid in Spanish America and the Philippines, as proposed by the Dictionary where the entry is inserted. The explanation scheme addresses the definition of the judgment, its types and modalities, the requirements that give it form and content, before it deals with the drafting and enforcement of a judgment, causing the effect of res iudicata. Further topics are the treatment of reckless litigants (those who litigated without good grounds) and the central question of nullity, which is to say, of the very existence of the judgment, of the trial, of justice and of the truth. The article culminates in some considerations on American peculiarities (personal, geographical and institutional), and ends with a bibliographic reflection, indicating what has been done and what should be done in the future when studying this topic, which is as unique as it is important for constructing a correct and fair trial and, with it, justice itself.