Legal maxim: Functus Officio
"Functus officio" is a Latin term meaning "having performed his or her office."
In legal contexts, it signifies that an officer or official body no longer has further authority or legal competence because their original duties and functions have been fully accomplished.
For Example: A trial where a judge presides over a civil case. After the trial concludes, the judge renders a judgment, settling the dispute between the parties. Once the judgment is given, the judge becomes "functus officio." This means that the judge's authority to make changes to the decision ends.
Any further modifications or challenges to the judgment must be pursued through the appellate process, where other judges preside in higher courts of appeal.
