Court Costs

The losing party is generally responsible for the costs of the process. To keep that fair and visible, the judge states those costs beforehand rather than surprising the parties after the ruling.

If the losing party does not cover the judge's costs, the judge may instead receive Rooted Merits as compensation for the service provided. In unusual cases, Congress may also decide to cover those costs in another way when special circumstances justify it.

The broader idea is that dispute resolution should remain viable without forcing judges to work without compensation or shifting every unpaid case into a permanent public burden.