A default divorce judgment is a ruling in which the court approves the divorce, even though only one spouse is involved in that legal process. The other party is in default and has not participated as intended.
For example, perhaps you served the divorce papers to your spouse, but they never signed those papers and never responded to the divorce petition. They did not communicate with you or the court. They did not attend the initial court hearings or make any financial disclosures.
In a case like that, it does not mean that your divorce is impossible. You can still end the marriage, but the court may need to make a default divorce ruling in order to do so.
Why would this happen?
There are many reasons why someone may not respond to a divorce petition. Perhaps your spouse never intended to respond and let you know from the very beginning. They did not want to get divorced, so they intentionally refused to participate.
But there are also situations in which people want to get divorced but have no ability to contact their spouse. Say that you married someone from overseas, but they abandoned the marriage years ago. They moved back to their home country, and you have no way to contact them or even serve the divorce papers. They cannot practically respond to the divorce petition or be involved in the process, but you can still end the legal marriage so that you can move forward with your life.
Although most divorce cases will not need to use a default ruling, it is important to know that it is a legal option you have as you take steps to end your marriage.