What does the doctrine of "res judicata" entail?

The doctrine of "res judicata," also known as claim preclusion, is a legal principle that prevents the same parties from litigating a case that has already been adjudicated. This ensures that once a final judgment has been made in a court of law, the same issue cannot be brought back to court again by the same parties. The aim of this doctrine is to promote judicial efficiency by conserving judicial resources and providing finality to court decisions, thereby protecting parties from repeated litigation over the same matter.

This principle applies when there has been a final judgment on the merits, meaning that the court has made a comprehensive decision regarding the case. Once a judgment is rendered, the parties are barred from bringing subsequent actions based on the same facts or claims, with limited exceptions for specific cases of appeal or newly discovered evidence.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately capture the essence of res judicata. For instance, the right to appeal pertains to challenging court decisions rather than barring re-litigation. The requirement for parties to be present at hearings relates to procedural aspects of litigation, and the process of jury selection is wholly unrelated to the principle of res judicata as it pertains to the adjudicative process itself. Thus, the correct answer is clearly aligned