Art. 1911 Final judgment; signing; appeals

When a judge makes a final decision in a case, that decision has to be put in writing and signed by the judge before it counts as official. The judge's name should be typed or printed on the judgment, but if it's missing, the judgment is still valid. Judges can also sign judgments electronically, so a physical signature isn't required.

This signing requirement matters most if you want to appeal a case. You cannot file an appeal until the judge has actually signed the final judgment. In other words, the clock on your right to appeal doesn't start, and the appeal process can't move forward, until that signature is on the document. This protects people from missing deadlines or filing appeals too early, before the judgment is truly finalized.