An indispensable party is a party in a lawsuit whose participation is required for jurisdiction or the purpose of rendering a judgment. Often, an indispensable party is any party whose rights are directly affected by disposition of the case. Many jurisdictions have rules which provide for an indispensable party to be joined (brought into the case as a party) at the discretion of the judge. In some cases, the inability to join such a party means that the case must be dismissed.