Under Rule 59, what can the judge do?

• A. Grant a new trial
• B. Deny the motion and affirm the verdict
• C. Grant a judgment as a matter of law
• D. Amend the judgment to correct clerical errors

Answer: (A)

Rule 59 governs post-trial relief and its primary remedy is granting a new trial. The court uses a new trial to address potential miscarriages of justice revealed during the trial—such as erroneous evidentiary rulings, improper jury instructions, or weight-of-the-evidence problems—and to retry the case on all or some issues if warranted. This is the action most directly authorized by Rule 59 when relief from the verdict is appropriate.

Granting a new trial is the best fit because other actions come from different rules: a judgment as a matter of law is under Rule 50, and amending the judgment for clerical errors is under Rule 60(a). Denying the motion and affirming the verdict is a possible outcome, but the remedy Rule 59 contemplates is the grant of a new trial.