In
United States law, a
motion is a
procedural device for decision. It is a request to the
judge (or judges) to make a decision about the
case. Motions may be made at any point in
administrative,
criminal or
civil proceedings, although that right is
regulated by court rules which vary from place to place. The party requesting the motion may be called the
movant, or may simply be the
moving party. The party opposing the motion is the
nonmovant or
nonmoving party.