Sua Sponte
The Latin term sua sponte, which translates as “of one’s own accord,” is used to describe an act of authority made without prompting, or without a request having been made. In the U.S. legal system, sua sponte generally refers to a decision made, or action taken, by a judge of his own accord, with no motion or request having been made by any party to the legal action. The most common use of sua sponte actions is to dismiss a case when the court in which it was filed does not have jurisdiction over the matter. To explore this concept, consider the following sua sponte definition.
Definition of Sua Sponte
Pronounced
sooh-uh spon-tay
Adjective
- Referring to an order made by a judge with no request by any party to the legal action.
Origin
Latin “of one’s own will”
What is a Sua Sponte Order
There are a number of situations in which a court may make an order in a case that is not in response to a party’s request or motion, but of its own initiative. This is important to understand, as it is an exception to the basic principles of legal procedure in the U.S.: (1) the parties to the legal action will direct the litigation, and (2) the judge, or decision-maker, will remain impartial, as well as passive.
A court may step out of its normally passive role in the litigation process if it deems some issue not raised by the parties, which has relevance to the case itself, needs to be decided. Taking sua sponte action is not uncommon, and is generally intended to help ensure the proceedings are fair and proper, and that there is no error in the proceedings which could give rise to a mistrial, or form grounds for an appeal. Such issues may include:
- Dismissal of a case over which the court has no geographical or subject-matter jurisdiction
- Removal of a case to another judge, if the current judge has a conflict of interest
- Declare a mistrial
- Bifurcate trial proceedings, even if against the will of the parties (this means splitting the proceedings, which were originally filed on multiple issues, into separate trial proceedings)
- Dismissal of a case considered to be frivolous, not having enough evidence to move forward
For example:
Jane and Michael have filed for divorce, and Jane has submitted an emergency petition to the court for sole legal custody of their children, claiming that Michael is abusive. The petition is submitted to Family Court Judge Smith for an emergency decision, until such time as a hearing can be held. Judge Smith realizes that Jane is his wife’s niece, which could present a problem, as Michael could claim the judge has a conflict of interest, or is biased toward Jane. Judge Smith makes a sua sponte decision to send the case to a different judge.
Inherent Problems with Sua Sponte Decisions
While sua sponte decisions are made in courts across the nation every day, most involve simple matters of jurisdiction, lack of sufficient reason or evidence to move forward, and conflicts of interest. Occasionally, however, judges make sua sponte decisions that leave the parties wondering what happened. This is often the case when such decisions are made at the appellate court level.
When a party to a legal proceeding has filed an appeal of the trial court’s ruling, the parties, or their layers, specify the issues in their written appellate briefs, which are submitted to the court of appeals. The parties then appear in court to present the case personally during the appeal hearing. Following the hearing, the court takes the matter under consideration, which means the judge holds onto the file for thorough review prior to rendering a decision. This may take weeks or even months. On occasion, the appellate judge finally renders a decision on the case, basing the ruling on some issue that neither party brought up.
When this happens, the very foundation of the nation’s adversarial legal system is shaken. The premise in the adversarial legal system is that the parties, or their advocates, are likely to discover and present more expedient information and arguments than the judge would develop on his own by asking questions. There is an unwritten rule of law in the U.S. that appellate courts should not make a ruling based on any issue not raised by either party to the matter, but rely solely on the information and arguments presented in the trial court record, the appeals briefs, and the oral arguments.
The Gorilla Rule
Noted Professor Emeritus of Law, Robert Martineau, refers to the “gorilla rule,” which holds that courts should not make such decisions, except when they do. He goes on to point out that this is likely to be because the 800-lb gorilla may sit wherever it wants. In other words, the authority of the appellate court often throws itself around, deciding issues however it deems right.
Appealing an Adverse Sua Sponte Decision
Appealing an adverse sua sponte decision can be a difficult matter. In fact, the laws of some jurisdictions specify that a sua sponte decision itself cannot be appealed. There is a work-around that may be time consuming, but which may gain the desired result: file a motion to vacate the sua sponte order. If the court denies the motion to vacate, appeal that decision, in other words, appeal the denial of the motion to vacate.
Related Legal Terms and Issues
- Appeal – An application to a higher court for reversal of the decision of a lower court.
- Bifurcation – The of a trial into two or more parts, so that judgement on multiple legal issues can be made separately.
- Jurisdiction – The legal authority to hear legal cases and make judgments; the geographical region of authority to enforce justice.
- Motion – A written or oral petition to the court requesting an order or ruling in a legal matter.
