Once the Court of Appeals justices sign their decision in my case, how does it actually get promulgated and reach me?

Signature by the participating justices comes first

Section 9 describes the mechanical steps that turn a deliberated judgment into a promulgated one. It begins with signature: after the judgment or final resolution and dissenting or separate opinions, if any, are signed by the Justices taking part. Any dissent or separate opinion is signed alongside the main decision, not held back or issued separately at a later date.

Delivery to the clerk and the date of promulgation

Once signed, the documents move to the clerk's office: they shall be delivered for filing to the clerk who shall indicate thereon the date of promulgation. That marked date becomes the official promulgation date of the decision, a fact that matters for computing later deadlines tied to the judgment, including the period for filing a motion for reconsideration or pursuing a further appeal from the decision.

Service on the parties or counsel

Promulgation is completed by service: the clerk shall cause true copies thereof to be served upon the parties or their counsel. This is how the parties actually learn of the outcome and its date — and, because so many subsequent deadlines run from receipt of notice, confirming exactly when this service occurs is important for the parties, whose response periods start running from that receipt.

Why the promulgation date carries so much weight

The date the clerk marks as the date of promulgation is the fixed reference point for a decision that otherwise passed through deliberation, signature, and delivery on different days, so the rule needs one clear moment the record can point to. That marked date, together with the date of actual service on the parties, anchors the countdown for the period to file a motion for reconsideration or to pursue further review, which is why both of these dates matter separately.

Who this process binds and what a service defect means

Section 9 binds the clerk of court to mark the promulgation date and to actually cause service on the parties or their counsel — the parties themselves have no role in this mechanical step beyond receiving what the clerk sends. Because so many later deadlines run from receipt rather than from the promulgation date itself, service that never reaches a party or counsel, or that goes to the wrong address, does not start that party's clock; a party who can show defective service has grounds to challenge whether a subsequent deadline, such as the period to move for reconsideration, actually began running against them.

Related provisions

• Rule 51, Section 9 — Promulgation and notice of judgment
• Rule 51, Section 10 — Entry of judgments and final resolutions
• Rule 51, Section 2 — By whom rendered