A memorandum of points and authorities is a document that is filed with a court by a party to support the party’s motion. The submission of a memorandum of points and authorities is usually mandatory whenever a party files a motion. The memorandum generally must include a statement of facts, an introduction of evidence and arguments, a discussion of the relevant case law, statutes, or other secondary materials, a conclusion and signature block.
In New York State courts, such documents are often called Affidavit/Affirmation in Support. Depending on states and court systems, the rules about memorandum of points and authorities can be different. California’s rules of memorandum of points and authorities can be referenced here.
[Last updated in September of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]