Dockets are "a log containing the complete history of each case in the form of brief chronological entries summarizing the court proceedings." They contain court filings such as briefs, motions, and pleadings from the case proceedings. Docket searching is an essential part of the legal research toolkit, as accessing dockets are helpful to contextualize and understand a particular piece of litigation. Dockets are typically maintained by the court clerk where the case was filed and many of these are available electronically though there is variation in availability across courts and timespans.
There are multiple ways to search dockets depending on research goals and resources available. Many courts provide online portals or website that provide access to court dockets. There may be an associated registration or fee for accessing documents through these portals.
Additionally, two commonly used subscription databases used to retrieve Dockets are Courtlink through Lexis+ and Dockets through Westlaw, both of which law students and faculty have access to through the law library. For other research needs, there is also PACER, a public access service for federal court documents.
Docket research is a useful tool to retrieve information about a particular case, as they contain information about the parties involved, the attorneys, the case procedure and much more. Dockets may useful for looking at examples of documents are filed in a particular type of litigation, like motions and briefs.
Dockets can also be used to estimate the lengths of particular types of cases. For litigants, researching dockets allows you to stay informed about the status and developments of a case. You can track upcoming hearings, review filed documents, and monitor actions taken by the court or opposing parties.
For academic research, dockets are useful for analyzing legal trends, case studies, or exploring specific areas of law.