Also known as:pronounces · pronounced · pronouncing · pronouncement · pronouncements · declare judgment · announce sentence
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
To issue a formal judicial declaration of a verdict, judgment, sentence, or other ruling. The announcement occurs at a critical stage of proceedings and carries immediate legal effect.
Sources & Authorities· 1 primary source
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Cases
Restatements
Dictionaries
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Apportionment Challenge Proceeds
Piper Patel, a voter in a malapportioned district, sued state officials alleging vote dilution. The district court dismissed the suit as a nonjusticiable political question. On appeal the Supreme Court pronounced the claim justiciable after applying the six-factor test and remanded for merits review.
Fee Tail Estate Recognized
Pablo Perez conveyed land by deed creating a fee tail. In a state still applying the Statute De Donis without modification, the court pronounced the grantee to hold an estate in fee tail and rejected attempts to treat the interest as a fee simple.
Pilar Pena, a married woman, challenged a state ban on contraceptive counseling. The Supreme Court pronounced the statute unconstitutional as violating a fundamental right of marital privacy derived from the Bill of Rights.
Griswold v. Connecticut381 U.S. 479 (1965)
Punitive Damages Capped
Prime Logistics sold a vehicle with undisclosed damage. An Alabama jury awarded Gore millions in punitive damages. The Supreme Court pronounced the award excessive under due process and remanded for reduction.
BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore517 U.S. 559, 575, 580-81 (1996)
Total Taking Found
Pavel Petrov purchased beachfront lots later rendered unbuildable by coastal regulations. The Supreme Court pronounced the regulation a total taking requiring compensation under the Fifth Amendment.
Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council505 U.S. 1003 (1992)
Jurisdiction Dismissed
Parker Phillips, a nonresident shareholder, sued corporate officers in Delaware. The Supreme Court pronounced that quasi in rem jurisdiction based solely on stock ownership violated due process and reversed the judgment.
Shaffer v. Heitner433 U.S. 186 (1977)
Common questions
Frequently Asked
3
When must a defendant be present for a court to pronounce a verdict?+
A federal defendant must be present when the verdict is returned and the jury is polled. Absence at that stage, even if the defendant appeared by video earlier, requires a new trial unless a recognized exception applies.
Does pronouncement of a suspended jail sentence trigger the right to counsel?+
Yes. Imposition of a term of imprisonment, even if suspended, counts as actual imprisonment for Sixth Amendment purposes and requires counsel or a valid waiver.
When does an administrative body's pronouncement of acquittal bar later criminal charges?+
Never, if the body lacked criminal jurisdiction. Only a valid criminal prosecution before a tribunal with authority over the offense triggers double jeopardy or related bars.
384 U.S. 436 (1966)Evidence
…of the prisoner were voluntary." 168 U. S., at 558. In this respect the Court was wholly consistent with prior and subsequent pronouncements in this Court. Thus prior to Bram the Court, in Hopt v. Utah , 110 U. S. 574, 583-587, had upheld the admissibility of a confession made to police officers following arrest, the record…