Legal Definitions - clinch

In parliamentary procedure, to clinch a motion refers to a specific procedural maneuver used to finalize a decision that has just been made, preventing it from being debated or changed again during the same meeting or session. This is achieved by immediately proposing to reconsider the motion that was just adopted, and then voting to defeat that proposal for reconsideration. By defeating the motion to reconsider, the original decision becomes solidified and cannot be brought up again for discussion or change.

• Imagine a local city council meeting where members have just voted to approve a new zoning ordinance for a specific district. To ensure this ordinance is immediately put into effect and not challenged again by a dissenting council member at the same meeting, a council member who supports the ordinance might immediately move, "I move to reconsider the vote on the zoning ordinance." Following this, the council would then vote on whether to reconsider. If the council members, having just approved the ordinance, vote against reconsidering it, they have effectively clinched the new zoning ordinance, making its approval final and binding.

• Consider a non-profit organization's board of trustees that has just passed a motion to allocate a significant portion of its annual budget to a new outreach program. A trustee who wants to ensure this crucial funding decision is firm and not immediately subject to further debate or attempts to reverse it might then propose, "I move to reconsider the vote by which the new outreach program's budget was approved." If the board then votes not to reconsider that decision, the budget allocation is clinched. This action confirms the funding decision, preventing it from being reopened for discussion during that board meeting.

• Think of a professional association's general assembly that has just adopted a new set of ethical guidelines for its members. To prevent any immediate attempts to amend or challenge these newly approved guidelines, a member might make a motion to reconsider the vote on the ethical guidelines. If the assembly, having just made the decision to adopt them, then votes against reconsidering it, they have successfully clinched the adoption of the new ethical guidelines. This ensures the guidelines are officially in place and cannot be revisited by the assembly at that time.