consent decree

American  

noun

Law.

1. an agreement, approved by the court, pursuant to which the defendant ceases activities alleged by the government to be illegal and the government's action is dropped, especially in antitrust and other regulatory matters.

2. an agreement made in court by the parties to settle a suit in equity.

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Etymology

Origin of consent decree

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

The department had been rocked by corruption scandals, one after the next, and operating under a Justice Department consent decree for over a decade.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

The studios made the movies and, until a federal consent decree in 1948, owned the theaters in which they played.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, though, said this week that his city would still "comply with every sentence, of every paragraph, of the 169-page consent decree that we signed this year".

From BBC • May 25, 2025

The consent decree requires close monitoring of staff abuse and retaliation, medical care, the application of early release credits and the timely release of inmates to halfway houses.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024

Should that consent decree provide for the appointment of an advisor or advisors to the court for any purpose, any such advisor shall be the special master so named by the court.

From Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code, Circular 92 by United States