Full faith and credit

What full faith and credit means

In short, full faith and credit is a term you will meet in court papers, rules and legal research. The definition above gives its usual meaning in American civil practice. However, the exact meaning can depend on the rule, statute or court decision that uses it. So it helps to read the term in context.

Where full faith and credit comes up

The term is used across many kinds of cases. For example, you may see it in pleadings, motions and court orders. To see it in context, browse the motions and procedures library or the Learn the Law topics.

How to research the term

First, read the term where it actually appears. A rule, statute or court decision may define it for its own purposes. Next, check whether your court has a local rule that uses full faith and credit in a special way. Then look at recent decisions from courts in your jurisdiction. They show how judges apply the term today. Also, remember that state law can differ from federal law. For that reason, use our state procedures guide to find your state’s rules. Finally, confirm every source is current before you rely on it.

You can read the current federal court rules online for free.

Related legal terms

• Fourteenth Amendment: the 1868 amendment that made all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to its jurisdiction, "citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside," and that forbids states to abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens, deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law, or deny any person the equal protection of the laws.
• Fractional reserve banking: a banking system in which banks hold only part of their deposits as reserves and lend the rest.
• Fraud: a knowing misrepresentation or concealment of a material fact, made to induce another person to act, on which the person justifiably relies to his or her harm.
• Frivolous: lacking any arguable basis in law or fact.

Why precise terms matter

Courts read legal terms closely. As a result, knowing the exact meaning of a word helps you follow orders, rules and filings. Each glossary entry on Lawtopolis is short on purpose and links to the pages where the term is used.