# Judgment channel: boundaries What the construct does NOT do: limits, reserved values, neighbouring constructs, and the selection rule. ## Does not - **Not decide for the judge.** The channel names the wait, never closes it: before the answer the result is `NEITHER`, a power's effect never materializes (a validity condition gives no support) — only the explanation of the missing effect changes. - **Not enumerate witnesses without support.** A goal-unbound variable is bound by a store witness: only a positive literal conjunct with a `TRUE_ONLY`/`BOTH` pair, arguments as variables, `entity_ref`, `value`. A computed argument, a constant, `_`, negation, `not_known`/`refuted`/`unknown` give no witnesses; the cap is eight continuations per rule. An unbound variable on a non-judgment conjunct leaves it out of analysis (`COMPUTED`). - **Not read the quantifier.** Per-element quantifier reading stays atomless for now (a known remainder, not an exception). - **Not pass the judge through `BOTH`.** A consumer conjunct with a `BOTH` pair is dead: a priority judge never passes through it. - **Not masked by a term error.** `INTERPRETATION_REQUIRED`, `UNRESOLVED_NORMATIVE_CONFLICT`, `REQUIRES_JUDGMENT` outrank term computation errors: "the court decides" shows even where "not computed". - **Not compute in the explanation.** The explanation walk never counts: head compatibility is by form, witnesses by store reading; a candidate rule with a term error is found by the "by predicate" walk, which never looks for judges. ## Reserved and closed - `authority` is an institution identifier, not a term; metadata `issuer` and `jurisdiction` are not terms either. - An answer with `judgment` but no `request_schema` on the declaration is `JUDGMENT_PAYLOAD_MISMATCH`: nobody can check the answer's form. - An answer from the wrong organ is `JUDGMENT_AUTHORITY_MISMATCH` (error), the support rejected, `REQUIRES_JUDGMENT` stays. - Query order is the canonical `order_requests`, no repeats. ## Neighbours and the selection rule - The judgment channel vs a court fact vs a reading: the outcome unknown — judgment; the outcome given — a fact; the text twofold — a reading. The choice goes in a comment on the feature. - `REQUIRES_JUDGMENT` vs `COMPUTED` at `NEITHER`: the first is "the named organ decides", the second is "facts missing". A test asserting only `truth_status` never tells them apart. - `adjudicated` vs `case_input`: the organ's answer vs a party's allegation. - A live vs a dead rule: a query only where the answer changes the outcome. - A condition's judge vs a consequence's judge: a rule reading a transition fact inherits the transition's judges; whoever asked about the consequence learns that the tribunal decides — in earlier behavior this stayed silent.