When a judge would rather not rate you
She can decline, and if she does she refunds you herself and the order closes.
The short answer
A judge can decide she would rather not rate an order. When she does, she refunds you herself and the order closes. You are not out of pocket, and there is nothing you need to do to claim the money back.
That is the whole rule, and it comes from how the Judges window describes the order flow. This post covers what it means in practice, without guessing at reasons or timings.
What a decline looks like on your side
Your Coin balance is charged when you order, so a declined order is one where that charge is reversed by the judge. The order then closes, which means it is finished and will not turn into a late delivery later.
It is not the same as a judge who never answers. In that case the order stays open, and the route is the 24-hour cancel described in what to do when a judge has not delivered. A decline is an answer, and the refund is part of it.
Do not read too much into it
The site gives no list of reasons and this post will not invent one. Treat it as a closed door on that one order, not as a score.
If you want to understand the range of reactions you can get from different people, why two judges give different scores is the better read. A decline is just one more way two judges differ.
What to do next
You have your balance back, so you can order again. Look at how the next judge presents herself first: her bio, prices and intro clip show what she does, and reading a judge profile goes through them. If you want a second view on the same photos, getting a second opinion covers how to ask without repeating yourself.
If you would rather not wait on another person at all, an AI judge works from your photo and returns a clip in a couple of minutes.
If something does not add up
If the order closed but your balance does not look right, use the "Report a problem" link on the rating card. It opens a support ticket already attached to that order. When you do, it helps to have your own record of it. The US Federal Trade Commission’s advice on disputes is to keep your receipts, since having the details of your transactions readily available can help you get inaccurate charges fixed. The refunds and cancellations post lists every case where Coins come back.
Is a decline the same as a bad rating
No. A bad rating is something you receive, a decline is the absence of one. Nothing is delivered, nothing is added to your history, and the money is returned. If you were hoping for feedback, you still have none, which is why the next step matters more than the decline itself.
It is also not a report against you. The site describes it as a judge deciding she would rather not rate the order, and the refund as hers to make. There is nothing further for you to acknowledge or fix.
There is no penalty on your side and no mark on your account described anywhere in the feature copy. If you order again, you start fresh.