A minute order records the court's rulings without a formal written opinion, typically entered by the clerk following a hearing or conference. It may set deadlines, resolve motions, or memorialize agreements.
It is an order carrying the same force as a formal written one.
Alternative Names:
Minute Entry, Docket Entry Order
Why it Matters?
Minute orders set deadlines that are as binding as those in a formal scheduling order, and they are the entries most often missed because they arrive as short docket notations rather than as documents. A hearing producing a minute order setting a briefing schedule requires the same calendaring as any other deadline. Monitoring the docket for these entries is a docketing function rather than an attorney one in most firms.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Are minute orders binding?
Why are they frequently missed?
