Docket Search (scotustext(R))

Updated December 2024

docket_search

An automated tool for collecting, parsing, and cleaning information from docketed cases, petitions, and motions to the United States Supreme Court. Implementation of docket_search requires providing a docket number corresponding to the petition (or application/motion) of interest as a character vector. For more information on the Supreme Court docket, see supremecourt.gov.

Function Description

The docket_search function has been streamlined for the updated version (2) to only accept Supreme Court docket numbers:

docket_id: The docket number of interest - written as a character vector in R. This can take the form of filed petitions (e.g., “19-1392”), applications (e.g., “22A948”), or motions (e.g., “22M11”). docket_id parameter is REQUIRED for all searches.

Usage Notes

  • The function will accept petitions filed pursuant to the Court’s original jurisdiction, though it is recommended that docket numbers be written in the style similar to supremecourt.gov (e.g., “22O145”).

  • Retrieval of dockets is conditioned on return rate parameters set exogeneously by the Supreme Court’s official website. The author strongly recommends that attempts to execute docket_search as a for-loop to retrieval several dockets be done with the inclusion of a sys.sleep() parameter to avoid accidentally drawing an automated error response.

Variables

##  [1] "title"                             "docket"                           
##  [3] "petitioner"                        "petitioner_counsel"               
##  [5] "respondent"                        "respondent_counsel"               
##  [7] "docketed"                          "linked_with"                      
##  [9] "lower_ct"                          "case_numbers"                     
## [11] "decision_date"                     "rehearing_denied"                 
## [13] "discretionary_court_decision_date" "docket_entries"                   
## [15] "counsel"
  • title: Case title
  • docket: Docket Number
  • petitioner: Petitioner (Appellant, Filer) Party
  • petitioner_counsel: Counsel of Record for Petitioner
  • respondent: Respondent (Appellee) Party
  • responent_counsel: Counsel of Record for Respondent
  • docketed: Date petition (application, motion) filed and accepted by Clerk of Court
  • linked_with: Docket Number(s) of associated petitions (applications, motions) filed and accepted by Clerk of Court
  • lower_ct: Most recent lower court prior to filing at the Court
  • case_numbers: Case number(s) associated with lower court filings (dispositions, judgments, etc.)
  • decision_date: Date of lower court decision
  • rehearing_denied: Date of rehearing denial
  • discretionary_court_decision_date': Date of discretionary court decision
  • docket_entries: Full online docket sheet with dates and associated entries – Stored as list object in dataframe output.
  • counsel: Full list of counsel listed on the Court’s docket sheet (includes petitioner_counsel and respondent_counsel) with name and contact information – Stored as list object in dataframe output.

Sample Walkthrough

dobbs_example <- docket_search(docket_id = '19-1392') # Example Using Dobbs v. Jackson (2022)
dobbs_example$title # Case Title
## [1] "Thomas E. Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health, et al., Petitioners v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, et al."
dobbs_example$docket_entries # Docket Entries
## [[1]]
## # A tibble: 217 × 2
##    date       entry                                                             
##    <date>     <chr>                                                             
##  1 2020-03-16 Application (19A1027) to extend the time to file a petition for a…
##  2 2020-03-19 Application (19A1027) granted by Justice Alito extending the time…
##  3 2020-06-15 Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 20, 2…
##  4 2020-06-25 Motion to extend the time to file a response from July 20, 2020 t…
##  5 2020-06-26 Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the t…
##  6 2020-07-14 Brief amici curiae of Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson and Roman…
##  7 2020-07-14 Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, Thomas Dobbs, et al.         
##  8 2020-07-17 Brief amicus curiae of American Center for Law & Justice filed.   
##  9 2020-07-20 Brief amici curiae of 375 Women Injured By Second and Third Trime…
## 10 2020-07-20 Brief amici curiae of The States of Texas, Alabama, Alaska, Arizo…
## # ℹ 207 more rows
dobbs_example$counsel # Counsel List
## [[1]]
## # A tibble: 142 × 5
##    name                             address      contact counsel_of_record party
##    <chr>                            <chr>        <chr>   <chr>             <chr>
##  1 Scott Grant Stewart              Mississippi… (601) … Yes               Peti…
##  2 Hillary Anne Schneller           Center for … (917) … Yes               Resp…
##  3 Julie Rikelman                   Center for … 917-63… No                Resp…
##  4 Elizabeth B. Prelogar            Solicitor G… 202-51… Yes               Other
##  5 Steven Henry Aden                Americans U… 252673… Yes               Other
##  6 Brigitte Adrienne Amiri          American Ci… 212519… Yes               Other
##  7 Jessica Ring Amunson             Jenner & Bl… 202-63… Yes               Other
##  8 David A. Barrett                 Boies Schil… 212-44… Yes               Other
##  9 H. Christopher Bartolomucci      Schaerr | J… 202-78… Yes               Other
## 10 James Bopp Jr.                   The Bopp La… 812232… Yes               Other
## # ℹ 132 more rows