merits docket

American  

[mer-its dok-it] / ˈmɛr ɪts ˌdɒk ɪt /

noun

1. a list of the cases resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in a recorded vote after full briefing and oral arguments, and with written opinions signed by individual justices.

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Etymology

Origin of merits docket

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

merits docket

Last term, when there were both more cases and more referrals to the full court, the appeals to the shadow docket finally overtook those to the merits docket.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

This latest term came to be defined by the merits docket, the shadow docket, and the justices’ public grievances.

From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026

The merits docket – the ordinary process – is methodical.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

The shadow docket’s role in helping to create the conditions for the contemporary merits docket would be reason enough to elevate the place of the shadow docket in our understanding of the Supreme Court.

From Slate ● May 24, 2023

Those orders are in contrast to the merits docket, the 60 to 70 cases each year that go through rounds of briefing and oral argument before being resolved in long, signed opinions for the court.

From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2022