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

The emergency docket is different from the court’s merits docket, which is the customary path for cases to reach the Supreme Court.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

The merits docket – the ordinary process – is methodical.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

That is to say, the merits docket exists in the shadows of the shadow docket, not the other way around.

From Slate • May 24, 2023

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