How Do I Write a Court Order?
A court, whether it is a federal court or a state court, speaks only through its orders. To write a court order, state specifically what you would like the court to do, and have a judge sign it.
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Prepare the caption and heading for the court order
The “caption” includes the name of the court, party names and case number. This information goes at the top of the page. Right under it, usually centered, is a heading that describes the court order that follows. An example of this is “Order to Adjourn Hearing.”
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Describe exactly what you want the court to do
The main body of the court order is what you are requesting from the court. Continuing with the example from the previous step, the court order may read, “It is hereby ordered that the hearing scheduled for today will be adjourned until tomorrow.”
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Include a signature line for the judge
Orders that are not signed are useless. Make sure you add a signature line at the bottom of the order. Below the signature line, include a date line for the judge to write the date the court order was signed, which is usually the date the court order is effective.
