After the Hearing — What Happens Next
Most family court hearings do not end the case. You leave with another date, or with a decision that has not been written down yet. This guide covers the stretch between the hearing and the order.
Most appearances end with another court date
The most common way an appearance ends is an adjournment. The judge sets a new date and the case continues.
Get two things before you leave the building. The date, and what the date is for. A conference, a continued hearing, and a date to receive a decision are three different appearances, and you prepare for them differently. The part clerk can tell you both.
Write them down before you leave. What to Write Down at Every Appearance covers what to capture while you are still in the room. My Case Dates will hold the dates afterward.
Sometimes the judge decides in the courtroom
The judge may announce a decision out loud. That ruling still has to be written down and signed.
The written order is the thing that counts. It is what you show a school, an employer, or a police officer. Until it exists, you have nothing to hand anyone.
Sometimes the judge takes time to decide
The judge may reserve decision. That means no ruling that day and a written order later, usually by mail.
There is no fixed timeframe for it. If weeks go by, call the part clerk and ask about the status of the decision.
Your temporary order is still running
A temporary order stays in force until the court replaces it. Waiting on a decision does not pause it. An adjournment does not pause it.
When the order arrives, note the date and keep the envelope
The order is served on you by the clerk, by another party, or by the child's attorney. The deadline for an appeal runs from when and how it reached you, so the day it arrived matters. Write it down and keep the envelope.
Every Family Court order you can appeal from carries a notice of your appeal rights in large print. Read that part.
Read the order the day it arrives
Read it once, then read it again with a pen. Four things to check:
- The names, the child's name, and the docket number.
- Every date in it. When it starts, when it ends, when something is due.
- What it says each parent has to do.
- Whether it is temporary or final.
If the written order does not match what you heard in the courtroom, that is a different problem from disagreeing with the decision. Ask the clerk's office how a correction is requested in that part.
Two deadlines start now
If a Support Magistrate decided your case, you have 30 days to file written objections if you got the order in court or it was handed to you. If it was mailed or sent electronically, you have 35 days from the day it was sent. That is the clock people miss.
If a judge decided it, an appeal has to be taken within 30 days of the order being served on you, 30 days from receiving it in court, or 35 days from the clerk mailing it. Whichever of those comes first.
Both are explained in After the Order.
If the order never comes
Orders get lost in the mail. The court keeps the file. Ask the clerk's office in the county where your case is heard for a copy. Bring the docket number, and expect to be asked for photo identification.
Where Jethro fits
We publish what the process is, so you can walk into it knowing its shape. Put the order with the rest of the case in the Case Binder, and keep the next date in My Case Dates.
Where Jethro Justice fits. We help you understand the process and get organized. For advice about your specific case, or to be represented in court, we will help you connect with a licensed attorney. Find a lawyer or legal aid →