Rule 50.Judgment as a Matter of Law in a Jury Trial; Related Motion for a New Trial; Conditional Ruling

Last amended December 1, 2009 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 50 lets a court grant judgment as a matter of law when a party has been fully heard and no reasonable jury could find for it; the motion may be renewed after trial within 28 days, often paired with a motion for a new trial.

Full Text of Rule 50

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

(a) Judgment as a Matter of Law.

(1) In General. If a party has been fully heard on an issue during a jury trial and the court finds that a reasonable jury would not have a legally sufficient evidentiary basis to find for the party on that issue, the court may:

(A) resolve the issue against the party; and

(B) grant a motion for judgment as a matter of law against the party on a claim or defense that, under the controlling law, can be maintained or defeated only with a favorable finding on that issue.

(2) Motion. A motion for judgment as a matter of law may be made at any time before the case is submitted to the jury. The motion must specify the judgment sought and the law and facts that entitle the movant to the judgment.

(b) Renewing the Motion After Trial; Alternative Motion for a New Trial. If the court does not grant a motion for judgment as a matter of law made under Rule 50(a), the court is considered to have submitted the action to the jury subject to the court's later deciding the legal questions raised by the motion. No later than 28 days after the entry of judgment—or if the motion addresses a jury issue not decided by a verdict, no later than 28 days after the jury was discharged—the movant may file a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law and may include an alternative or joint request for a new trial under Rule 59. In ruling on the renewed motion, the court may:

(1) allow judgment on the verdict, if the jury returned a verdict;

(2) order a new trial; or

(3) direct the entry of judgment as a matter of law. Rule 50. Judgment as a Matter of Law in a Jury Trial; Related Motion for a New Trial; Conditional Ruling, FRCP Rule 50

(1) In General. If the court grants a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law, it must also conditionally rule on any motion for a new trial by determining whether a new trial should be granted if the judgment is later vacated or reversed. The court must state the grounds for conditionally granting or denying the motion for a new trial.

(2) Effect of a Conditional Ruling. Conditionally granting the motion for a new trial does not affect the judgment's finality; if the judgment is reversed, the new trial must proceed unless the appellate court orders otherwise. If the motion for a new trial is conditionally denied, the appellee may assert error in that denial; if the judgment is reversed, the case must proceed as the appellate court orders.

(d) Time for a Losing Party's New-Trial Motion. Any motion for a new trial under Rule 59 by a party against whom judgment as a matter of law is rendered must be filed no later than 28 days after the entry of the judgment.

(e) Denying the Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law; Reversal on Appeal. If the court denies the motion for judgment as a matter of law, the prevailing party may, as appellee, assert grounds entitling it to a new trial should the appellate court conclude that the trial court erred in denying the motion. If the appellate court reverses the judgment, it may order a new trial, direct the trial court to determine whether a new trial should be granted, or direct the entry of judgment.

End

Amendment History

(Amended January 21, 1963, effective July 1, 1963; March 2, 1987, effective August 1, 1987; April 30, 1991, effective December 1, 1991; April 22, 1993, effective December 1, 1993; April 27, 1995, effective December 1, 1995; April 12, 2006, effective December 1, 2006; April 30, 2007, effective December 1, 2007; March 26, 2009, effective December 1, 2009.)

Plain-English Summary

Rule 50 is the jury-trial counterpart to summary judgment. After a party has been fully heard on an issue at trial, the court may grant judgment as a matter of law against that party if a reasonable jury would not have a legally sufficient evidentiary basis to find in its favor. This is the modern name for what older practice called a directed verdict.

If the court lets the case go to the jury instead, the motion is not lost: the party may file a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law no later than 28 days after the entry of judgment (the old “judgment notwithstanding the verdict”). The renewed motion is often joined with, or in the alternative to, a motion for a new trial, and Rule 50 directs the court to rule conditionally on the new-trial request so the case is set up cleanly for appeal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is judgment as a matter of law?

A ruling that, on the evidence, no reasonable jury could find for a party, so the court decides the issue rather than leaving it to the jury (Rule 50(a)).

How long do you have to renew a Rule 50 motion after trial?

No later than 28 days after the entry of judgment (Rule 50(b)).

Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the official Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Fed. R. Civ. P. 50), a public-domain work of the U.S. Government. Prescribed by the United States Supreme Court under the Rules Enabling Act. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: FRCP 50Fed. R. Civ. P. 50judgment as a matter of lawJMOLdirected verdictrenewed motion for judgmentJNOV