What represents the court's decision and instructs the parties on required actions?

The correct answer is judgment because it represents the formal decision made by a court regarding the rights and obligations of the parties involved in the case. A judgment concludes the legal proceedings and typically details what actions the parties must take as a result of the court's findings. It can include directives such as payment of damages or other forms of relief, effectively outlining the court's stance on the matters presented during trial.

In legal terminology, the word "judgment" encompasses both the assessment and the execution of a court’s decision. While rulings can refer to decisions made during the course of litigation (such as pre-trial motions), they do not carry the full scope of enforcement that a judgment does. An order usually refers to a specific command issued by the court but may not encompass the entirety of a legal determination, and a resolution is generally used in other contexts, often outside of litigation, such as formal agreements or conclusions reached in deliberative bodies. Thus, understanding the distinctions helps clarify why judgment is the most accurate representation of a court’s decision instructing parties on their required actions.