Here’s the definition from Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019):
order n. (16c) 1. A command, direction, or instruction. See MANDATE (1). 2. A written direction or command delivered by a government official, esp. a court or judge. • The word generally embraces final decrees as well as interlocutory directions or commands. — Also termed court order; judicial order. See MANDAMUS.
“An order is the mandate or determination of the court upon some subsidiary or collateral matter arising in an action, not disposing of the merits, but adjudicating a preliminary point or directing some step in the proceedings.” 1 Henry Campbell Black, A Treatise on the Law of Judgments § 1, at 5 (2d ed. 1902).
“While an order may under some circumstances amount to a judgment, they must be distinguished, owing to the different consequences flowing from them, not only in the matter of enforcement and appeal but in other respects, as, for instance, the time within which proceedings to annul them must be taken. Rulings on motions are ordinarily orders rather than judgments. The class of judgments and of decrees formerly called interlocutory is included in the definition given in [modern codes] of the word ‘order.’” 1 A.C. Freeman, A Treatise of the Law of Judgments § 19, at 28 (Edward W. Tuttle ed., 5th ed. 1925).
What kinds of orders are common in a Utah divorce action? Again, I defer to Black’s Law Dictionary:
- enforcement order. A court’s order issued to compel a person or entity to comply with a statute, regulation, contract provision, previous court order, or other binding authority.
- ex parte order (eks pahr-tee) (18c) An order made by the court upon the application of one party to an action without notice to the other.
- final order. (16c) An order that is dispositive of the entire case. See final judgment under JUDGMENT (2).
- final judgment. (18c) A court’s last action that settles the rights of the parties and disposes of all issues in controversy, except for the award of costs (and, sometimes, attorney’s fees) and enforcement of the judgment. — Also termed final appealable judgment; final decision; final decree; definitive judgment; determinative judgment; final appealable order.
– income-withholding order (1986) A court order providing for the withholding of a person’s income by an employer, usu. to enforce a child-support order. — Abbr. IWO. — Also termed wage-withholding order; wage-assignment order; wage assignment. Cf. attachment of wages under ATTACHMENT (1).
- interim order. (18c) 1. A temporary court decree that remains in effect for a specified time or until a specified event occurs. 2. See interlocutory order.
- interlocutory order (in-tər-lok-yə-tor-ee) (17c) An order that relates to some intermediate matter in the case; any order other than a final order. • Most interlocutory orders are not appealable until the case is fully resolved. But by rule or statute, most jurisdictions allow some types of interlocutory orders (such as preliminary injunctions and class-certification orders) to be immediately appealed. — Also termed interlocutory decision; interim order; intermediate order. See appealable decision under DECISION (1); COLLATERAL-ORDER DOCTRINE.
- maintenance order. See SUPPORT ORDER.
– support order (1948) A court decree requiring a party (esp. one in a divorce or paternity proceeding) to make payments to maintain a child or spouse, including medical, dental, and educational expenses. — Also termed maintenance order.
- foreign support order. (1948) An out-of-state support order.
- minute order. (1918) 1. An order recorded in the minutes of the court rather than directly on a case docket. • Although practice varies, traditionally when a trial judge is sitting officially, with or without a court reporter, a clerk or deputy clerk keeps minutes. When the judge makes an oral order, the only record of that order may be in the minutes. It is therefore referred to as a minute order. — Also termed minute entry. 2. A court order not directly relating to a case, such as an order adopting a local rule of court. • In this sense, the court is not a single judge acting in an adjudicatory capacity, but a chief judge, or a group of two or more judges, acting for a court in an administrative or some other nonadjudicatory capacity.
- modification order (1936) Family law. A post-divorce order that changes the terms of child support, custody, visitation, or alimony. • A modification order may be agreed to by the parties or may be ordered by the court. The party wishing to modify an existing order must show a material change in circumstances from the time when the order sought to be modified was entered. See CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES.
- pretrial order (1939) A court order setting out the claims and defenses to be tried, the stipulations of the parties, and the case’s procedural rules, as agreed to by the parties or mandated by the court at a pretrial conference.
- emergency protective order. (1976) A temporary protective order granted on an expedited basis, usu. after an ex parte hearing (without notice to the other side), most commonly to provide injunctive relief from an abuser in a domestic-violence case; esp., a short-term restraining order that is issued at the request of a law-enforcement officer in response to a domestic-violence complaint from a victim who is in immediate danger. • A victim of domestic violence can obtain an EPO only through a law-enforcement officer. There is no notice requirement, but the abuser must be served with the order. The duration of an EPO varies from three to seven days, depending on state law. — Abbr. EPO. Cf. TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER.
- permanent protective order. (1981) A protective order of indefinite duration granted after a hearing with notice to both sides; esp., a court order that prohibits an abuser from contacting or approaching the protected person for a long period, usu. years. Despite the name, permanent orders often have expiration dates set by state law. An order may also require the abuser to perform certain acts such as attending counseling or providing financial support for the protected person. — Abbr. PPO.
– qualified domestic-relations order (1984) A state-court order or judgment that relates to alimony, child support, or some other state domestic-relations matter and that (1) recognizes or provides for an alternate payee’s right to receive all or part of any benefits due a participant under a pension, profit-sharing, or other retirement benefit plan, (2) otherwise satisfies § 414 of the Internal Revenue Code, and (3) is exempt from the ERISA rule prohibiting the assignment of plan benefits. • Among other things, the QDRO must set out certain facts, including the name and last-known mailing address of the plan participant and alternate payee, the amount or percentage of benefits going to the alternate payee, and the number of payments to which the plan applies. The benefits provided under a QDRO are treated as income to the actual recipient. IRC (26 USCA) § 414(p)(1)(A); 29 USCA § 1056(d)(3)(D)(i). — Abbr. QDRO.
– restraining order (1876) 1. A court order prohibiting family violence; esp., an order restricting a person from harassing, threatening, and sometimes merely contacting or approaching another specified person. • This type of order is issued most commonly in cases of domestic violence. A court may grant an ex parte restraining order in a family-violence case if it is necessary to (1) achieve the government’s interest in protecting victims of family violence from further abuse, (2) ensure prompt action where there is an immediate threat of danger, and (3) provide governmental control by ensuring that judges grant such orders only where there is an immediate danger of such abuse. — Also termed protective order; order of protection; stay-away order. See ex parte motion under MOTION (1). 2. TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER. 3. A court order entered to prevent the dissipation or loss of property.
- scheduling order. (1959) A court’s order that sets the time deadlines for different procedural actions in a case, such as amending pleadings, filing motions, and completing discovery.
- separation order. (1882) A court order granting a married person’s request for a legal separation. See SEPARATION AGREEMENT (1).
- show-cause order. (1925) An order directing a party to appear in court and explain why the party took (or failed to take) some action or why the court should or should not impose some sanction or grant some relief. — Abbr. SCO. — Also termed order to show cause (OSC; OTSC); rule to show cause; show-cause rule.
- supervision order. (1938) Family law. A court’s order placing a child or young person under the supervision of a child-welfare agency or a probation officer in a case of neglect, abuse, or delinquency.
– support order (1948) A court decree requiring a party (esp. one in a divorce or paternity proceeding) to make payments to maintain a child or spouse, including medical, dental, and educational expenses. — Also termed maintenance order.
- foreign support order. (1948) An out-of-state support order.
- temporary order. (1808) A court order issued during the pendency of a suit, before the final order or judgment has been entered.
– temporary restraining order (1861) 1. A court order preserving the status quo until a litigant’s application for a preliminary or permanent injunction can be heard. • A temporary restraining order may sometimes be granted without notifying the opposing party in advance. Cf. emergency protective order under PROTECTIVE ORDER. 2. See ex parte injunction under INJUNCTION. — Abbr. TRO. — Often shortened to restraining order.
- visitation order (1944) Family law. 1. An order establishing the visiting times for a noncustodial parent with his or her child. 2. An order establishing the visiting times for a child and a person with a significant relationship to the child. • Such an order may allow for visitation between (1) a grandparent and a grandchild, (2) a child and another relative, (3) a child and a stepparent, or (4) occasionally, a child and the child’s psychological parent. — Also termed access order.
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