An official proclamation by a judge or panel of judges that can legally compel someone to pay a fine or damages, stay away from another individual, or authorize searches is known as which of the following? a. a court order b. a writ of certiorari c. a appeal d. a summary judgement

We'll start by looking at the meanings of the terms you have as answer choices.

A. court order
This is a direction from the court or judge that requires a person to do or not do something. Court orders can vary from setting a date for a trial to granting restraining orders or warrants.

B. writ of certiorari
This is a type of writ (an order from the court for something to be done or not be done). It orders a lower court (such as a county court) to give its records from a case so a higher court (like the U.S. Supreme Court) can review it. 

C. appeal
In law, an appeal occurs when a party in a case requests for a change of an official decision. During this process, the case is reviewed to determine if the ruling stands or if a correction should be made.

D. summary judgment
This judgment that can quickly dispose of a case without going to trial. It's used when there is no dispute to the facts that are presented for the case.

The best choice for your question would be A. court order.