# To cavel or not to gavel. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 18, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cavel-or-not-to-gavel/50631 "2001-01-18T03:39:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cavel-or-not-to-gavel/50631/1 "2001-01-18T03:39:19Z")
Some guy told me last week that if the judge in court didn’t bang the gavel when making a judgement, the judgement wasn’t binding. I find this a little hard to believe, but there are stranger rules in our legal system. So, all you legal beagles, can I tell this dude that he’s full of it? I can tell him that anyway, but is he? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2001, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cavel-or-not-to-gavel/50631/2 "2001-01-18T07:21:45Z")
So, when the Supreme Court issues an opinion, someone walks into the court building, bangs a gavel and then says “OK, let’s interpret some constitutional law!” IANAL, but I would be certain that if a judge makes a ruling of some kind, it doesn’t really matter if there is a gavel around. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cavel-or-not-to-gavel/50631/3 "2001-01-19T04:04:43Z")
I would be very surprised if that’s the case. But, I’ve never understood the gavel anyway. Judges in Canadian courts never use them.