Decision / award / finding

judgment / sentence 

verdict / ruling / disposition

以上单词均有裁定、裁决或判决的含义。

Decision

A judicial or agency determination after consideration of the facts and the law; esp., a ruling, order, or judgment pronounced by a court when considering or disposing of a case.

appealable decision. (1870) A decree or order that is sufficiently final to receive appellate review (such as an order granting summary judgment), or an interlocutory decree or order that is immediately appealable, usu. By Statute (such as an order denying immunity to a police officer in a civil-rights suit). 

——Black's Law Dictionary

①裁定；判决；决定；裁判 

指对事实问题，有时也包括对法律问题进行考虑、评议之后所得出的结论。它是一种具有司法或准司法性质的决定，其行为主体多数情况下是法院，但也包括仲裁机关、行政机关或委员会等。它不仅用于指终局判决[ final judgment]，也包括中间裁决[interlocutory order]它与opinion的主要区别在于前者是指法院的判决，而后者是对作出判决的理由的陈述。（decree; final decision; finding; judgment; opinion order; verdict）

②（欧共体理事会或委员会作出的）行政性决议;（司法的或具有司法性质的）决议

 ——元照英美法词典

award

award, n. (14c)A final judgment or decision, esp. one by an arbitrator or by a jury assessing damages. -Also termed arbitrament. 

interim award (1833) An arbitral panel's decisions on the applicable law and its jurisdiction made before the panel decides the issues in an arbitration. 

award (14c) To grant by formal process or by judicial decree <the company awarded the contract to the low bidder> <the jury awarded punitive damages>.

——Black's Law Dictionary

①仲裁裁决

②核定损害赔偿金的陪审团的裁决

v.（以司法栽决或通过正式程序）裁定；授予；判给

ward in gross总额财产載决;一次性财产裁决指(婚姻关系)当事人之间就财产问题所作的处理，一旦作出即与离婚判决一样产生终局性的拘束力。其目的是在处理婚姻关系的同时处理和确定当事人之间的财产关系。( alimony in gross)

 ——元照英美法词典

Finding

finding = finding of fact

finding of fact. (18c) A determination by a judge, jury, or administrative agency of a fact supported by the evidence in the record, usu. Presented at the trial or hearing <he agreed with the jury's finding of fact that the driver did not stop before proceeding into the intersection>.

concurrent finding. (usu. pl.)(1894)Identical factual findings by two different tribunals on a specific issue of fact.

essential finding. (1902) Military law. A military tribunal's determination of a collateral pretrial motion.

general finding. (1829) An undifferentiated finding in favor of one party.

special finding. (17c) 

① (usu pl) A finding of the necessary and ultimate facts to support a judgment in favor of one party. 

② Military law. A military tribunal’s finding that directly relates to the determination of guilt or Innocence.

——Black's Law Dictionary

n.裁决 

通常指法庭或陪审团经审议后作出的结论。也指行政部门的决定。(decision; judgment;verdict）

finding of fact

①对争议事实的裁决 法庭对一方肯定而另一方否定的事实，经过对证据作合理推断而得出的结论。对事实的裁决，除有明显错误外，不得予以撤废;但经当事人的申请，可以修改或补充。上级法院在审理上诉案件时，一般以下级法院所认定的事实为基础。

②仲裁人对争议事实的认定

③验户官或法医对死亡原因的确定

finding of law

对适用法律的裁决 指对某种事件的法律后果的裁决，例如裁决某一合同无效等。对适用法律的裁决可以上诉。

——元照英美法词典

Judgment

1. The mental faculty that causes one to do or say certain things at certain times, such as exercising ones own discretion or advising others; the mental faculty of decision-making.

bad judgment. The failure to exercise good judgment; esp., a tendency to do or say the wrong thing or exercising discretions unwisely . -Also termed unsound judgment.

good judgment. The mental faculty that causes one termed sound judgment.

2. A court's final determination of the rights and obligations of the parties in a case. The term judgment includes an equitable decree and any order from which an appeal lies.

"An action is instituted for the enforcement of a right or the redress of an injury. He lence a judgment, as the culmination of the action declares the existence of the right, recognizes the commission of the injury, or negatives the allegation of one or the other. But as no right can exist without a correlative duty, nor any invasion of it without a corresponing obligation to make amends, the judgment necessarily affirms, or elas denies, that such a duty or such a liability rests upon the person against whom the aid of the law is invoked. "

——Black's Law Dictionary

n. ①判决 法庭对案件各方当事人的权利和义务或是否承担责任问题作出的最后决定。在诉讼实践中，judgment＂包括“dece”(衡平法判决)与可以上诉的命令或裁定[order]，且常与“decision”作为同义词互换使用;在刑事诉讼中，“sentence”与“dement＂同义。该词还可以指法庭作出判决的理由，但后者通常更多地称为“opinion”。

②<英>上议院常任上诉法官的司法意见书

 ——元照英美法词典

Sentence

n (14c)Criminal law. The judgment that a court formally pronounces after finding a criminal defendant guilty; the punishment imposed on a criminal wrongdoer<a sentence of 20 years in prison>.

——Black's Law Dictionary

n.

①刑事判决 

法院正式宣告对已作有罪答辩或已被定罪的刑事被告人所判处的刑罚的判决。

②(判决所确定的)刑罚 

在英美刑法上，刑事判决可判处的刑罚包括监禁刑、缓刑[probation]和罚金刑，在美国还包括死刑和暂缓监禁[suspended sentence]。

③(英)(教会法)判决 

相当于民事诉讼中的判决[judgment]。

sentence in absentia缺席判決 

在被告人缺席的情况下对其作出科刑判决。

sentence of death recorded〈英)记录在案的死刑判决

英国法院的一种习惯做法，即将不准备宣告的死刑判决登记在案卷中，其效力如同已被宣告，而犯罪人则被缓期执行死刑。现已不用。

sentence of nullity 婚姻无效之判决

 ——元照英美法词典

Verdict

1. A jury's finding or decision on the factual issues of a case.

alternative verdict (1818) ①See lesser included offense under OFFENSE(2). ② One of two or more verdicts that a jury may reach. For example, in some states, when a defendant asserts an insanity defense, the jury may find the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity or, alternatively, guilty but insane .

chance verdict (1820) A now-illegal verdict, arrived at by hazard or lot. -Also termed gambling verdict; verdict by lot.

compromise verdict (1851) A verdict reached when jurors, to avoid a deadlock, concede some issues so thatother issues will be resolved as they want. defective verdict (18c) A verdict on which a judgment cannot be based because of irregularities or legal inadequates.

directed verdict (1912)A ruling by a trial judge taking a case from the jury because the evidence will permit only one reasonable verdict . - Also termed instructed Verdict.

——Black's Law Dictionary

①(陪审团)裁断 

陪审团就提交其审理的事项所作的正式裁决。通常可分为概括裁断[general verdict]，即确定原告胜诉还是被告胜诉(民事案件中)或被告人有罪还是无罪（刑事案件中）的裁断;和特别裁断[special verdict]，即陪审团仅对案件中的特定事项作出裁决，而将对该事实适用法律的问题留给法官解决。通常只有在很特殊的案件中才作出特别裁断。在英国，根据1974年《陪审团法》[ Juries Act]，民事案件中的陪审团裁断必须是一致裁断[unanimous verdict]，除非当事人双方同意接受多数裁断[ majority verdict]；刑事案件中在某些情况下，法庭可以接受多数裁断。在苏格兰，民事诉讼中的裁断可以是一般裁断或特别裁断，且接受多数裁断;刑事诉讼中的裁断则包括有罪裁断[guiy]、罪证不足的裁断[not proven]和无罪裁断[not guilty]，其中后两者都具有宣告无罪的效力。在美国，传统上要求陪审团裁断须是一致裁断，但现在已有改变。在刑事案件中，若所涉罪行轻微，有些州允许陪审团作出多数裁断;在民事案件中，许多州已放弃了对一致性的要求，允许作出12人陪审团中有10人同意的裁断，联邦法院则允许当事人约定将一定多数陪审员同意的裁断作为陪审团的裁断。

②(无陪审团审判时)法官的裁决 

非严格意义上使用。

 ——元照英美法词典

Ruling

1. Government; the act of one who governs or rules.

2. The outcome of a courts decision either on some point of law or on the case as a whole. -Also termed legal ruling.

“A distinction is sometimes made between rules and rulings. Whether or not a formal distinction is declared, in common usage ‘legal ruling’ (or simply 'ruling' ) is a term ordinarily used to signify the outcome of applying a legal test when that outcome is one of relatively narrow impact. The immediate effect is to decide an issue in a single case. This meaning contrasts, for example, with the usual meaning of ‘legal rule’ (or simply 'rule’). The term ‘rule’ ordinarily refers to a legal proposition of general application. A ‘ruling’ may have force as precedent, but ordinarily it has that force because the conclusion it expresses (for example, 'objection sustained') explicitly depends upon and implicitly reiterate a ‘rule’-a legal proposition of more general application....”

——Black's Law Dictionary

①细则 

指对制定法、命令、规章、条例等的规定所作的司法或行政解释。

②决定;裁决 

指法官在庭running审过程中对证据的可采性、对申请是否许可等问题所作的决定。

 ——元照英美法词典

Disposition

1. The act of transferring something to another's care or possession, esp. by deed or will, the relinquishing of property <a testamentary disposition of all the assets>.

testamentary disposition (17c) A disposition to take effect upon the death of the person making it, who retains substantially entire control of the property until death.

2. A final settlement or determination <the court's disposition of the case>.

ambulatory disposition (1878)①A judgment or sentence that is subject to amendment or revocation.

②A testamentary provision that is subject to change because the testator is still alive and capable of making a new will. Sense 2 corresponds to the first sense of disposition above.

informal disposition(1849)The termination of a case by means other than trial; any action that leads to disposition without conviction and without a judicial determination of guilt, such as guilty pleas and decisions not to prosecute.

3. Temperament or character; personal makeup <a surly disposition>.

——Black's Law Dictionary

①处分;转让;放弃（bequeath; testamentary disposition）

②（事件的）最终解决；（案件的）裁决

③科刑；宣判

④气质；态度；倾向

 ——元照英美法词典

（本文转自公众号“律蚁语言服务社”，已获授权）