Judgment

Bouvier (1856) "The decision or sentence of the law, given by a court of justice or other competent tribunal, as the result of proceedings instituted therein, for the redress of an injury."

In most cases, sending the full trial transcript along with a petition to the governor was unnecessary. Because clerks were paid for transcribing records by the page, sending only a portion of the record was less demanding on the governor’s time and on the petitioner’s funds.

This statement of judgment against Jane, an enslaved woman in Owen County, states the case name, its verdict, and the punishment rendered. This was the minimum information required for the governor’s office to write out the official pardon or remission documents, which would be sent to the court with jurisdiction over the case.