full faith and credit

Main Entry: full faith and credit
Function: noun
: the recognition and enforcement of the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of one state by another —see also Article IV of the CONSTITUTION in the back matter —compare CHOICE OF LAW, COMITY, FEDERALISM
NOTE: Unlike comity, full faith and credit is a requirement created by the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Code. A public law or a judicial decision may not, however, be entitled to full faith and credit for specific reasons (as for having been decided by a court not having jurisdiction). Full faith and credit is given only in civil cases; states recognize each other's criminal laws through the mechanism of extradition.