Hello! My name is TJ, and I’m an attorney. Thanks so much for the opportunity to assist you!

Unfortunately, you can’t actually force a judge to issue a judgment on your case. Judges have discretion on the timing of their rulings, and courts operate on their own schedules.

If you’ve already filed your Proposed Final Judgment and the court hasn’t ruled, your best option — if you’re unhappy with the delay or future rulings — is to consider an appeal once a final judgment is entered.

The appellate process allows you to challenge legal errors or procedural delays, but it doesn’t provide a mechanism to compel a judge to act faster. It’s understandably frustrating when cases drag on, but the law generally doesn’t allow you to “force” judicial action.

Question for you:

In what state is your case being heard? Has the court made any formal rulings or dismissed causes of action beyond the proposed final judgment?

If the judge has dismissed all causes of action, that dismissal itself is effectively a ruling in your favor — the court has determined the claims lack merit or can’t proceed. However, even with the dismissals, the case isn’t officially closed until the judge signs the final judgment.

The final judgment is what formally ends the case and enters the dismissal into the record as a complete resolution.

That said, the judge isn’t required to sign your proposed judgment immediately. Judges may take time to review the file or consider any procedural matters before signing the order.

Unfortunately, there’s no legal way to force the judge to sign the final judgment faster. If you’re waiting, the case is effectively decided, but not procedurally finalized.

Once the final judgment is entered, if you disagree with any aspect, your next step would be an appeal.

I understand it’s frustrating to wait when you’ve already won on the merits, but this situation is fairly common in civil cases.

If the judge doesn’t sign a final judgment, your main option is to wait until the court acts, because there’s no mechanism to directly compel the judge.

Without a signed judgment, the case technically remains open. In some cases, you can file a Motion to Enter Judgment (or similar, depending on local rules), but even that leaves the timing up to the judge’s discretion.

If the delay becomes excessive, and once a judgment is eventually entered, you could then seek appellate review to determine whether the trial court abused its discretion or caused unreasonable delay.

Until the judgment is signed, appellate courts usually won’t intervene because no final order exists to appeal.

It’s a tough spot, and the legal system doesn’t provide much recourse to speed things up when a judge is slow to sign.

At this point, it’s best to:

• Follow up with the court clerk to confirm whether any action has been taken or if the judge’s chambers are backlogged.
• If there’s still no movement, you can request a hearing to have the judge address the pending motion directly.
• If delays continue beyond a reasonable period, you could explore filing a petition for a writ of mandamus with an appellate court.
• That’s a rare and extraordinary remedy, only granted when the delay is clearly excessive or unjustified.

I hope this helps — and please feel free to ask if you’d like me to explain any of these steps in more detail.