A judicial foreclosure is a foreclosure which results from a court action rather than from the power of sale given to a trustee. It is a type of foreclosure proceeding used in some states that is handled as a civil lawsuit and conducted under the auspices of a court. Judicial foreclosures occur when a trust deed or mortgage deed does not have a power of sale clause, thus compelling the lender to take the borrower to court. This is in contrast to a non-judicial foreclosure, in which a foreclosure can be completed outside the court system.