Case status

Court case status terms explained

Last checked 6 November 2026 · 7 sources

Short answer

Court status terms describe where a case stands in its record. A docket is a log of brief chronological entries covering the history of each case ¹. A judgment is the official decision finally resolving the dispute ¹. On appeal, affirmed means the lower court decision is correct and will stand, and remand means the case goes back to a lower court for further proceedings ¹. India's National Judicial Data Grid counts cases as pending or disposed ², and the UK Supreme Court reports permission to appeal as granted, granted in part or refused ³.

Docket: Brief chronological entries covering a case's history ¹
Judgment: Official decision finally resolving the dispute ¹
Affirmed: Lower court decision is correct and will stand ¹
Remand: Case sent to a lower court for further proceedings ¹
UK Supreme Court permission outcomes: Granted, granted in part, refused ³
India grid categories: Pending, disposed, instituted, listed today ²

Terms for a case that is still open

Most systems do not use one fixed word for an open case. They show the latest docket entry or a count of pending matters. The US federal courts glossary defines a motion as a request by a litigant to a judge for a decision on an issue relating to the case ¹. An open motion can hold a case at one stage for months.

India's National Judicial Data Grid for District Courts, designed, hosted and maintained by the National Informatics Centre, reports pending civil and criminal cases, age-wise pending breakdowns, cases instituted in the last month, cases listed today and undated cases ².

An injunction is a court order preventing one or more named parties from taking some action ¹. It can be in force during a case, before any judgment.

Terms for a case that has ended at first instance

Judgment: the official decision of a court finally resolving the dispute between the parties to the lawsuit ¹.
Dismissal with prejudice: court action that prevents an identical lawsuit or criminal charges from being filed later ¹.
Dismissal without prejudice: court action that allows a later filing ¹.
Disposed: the National Judicial Data Grid reports disposals, split into contested and uncontested, for the last month ².

Terms used on appeal

Term	Meaning	Source
Appeal	A request challenging the decision of a court by a party that has lost on one or more issues ¹	US courts glossary ¹
Affirmed	The appellate court finds the lower court decision is correct and will stand ¹	US courts glossary ¹
Reverse	A court sets aside the decision of a lower court ¹	US courts glossary ¹
Remand	An appellate court sends a case to a lower court for further proceedings ¹	US courts glossary ¹
Vacate	To set aside or annul a previous judgment or order ⁴	Cornell LII Wex ⁴
En banc	Court sessions with the entire membership of a court participating ¹	US courts glossary ¹
Writ of certiorari	An order of the US Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case it will hear on appeal ¹	US courts glossary ¹
Set aside or vary	Powers of an appeal court in England and Wales, with power to affirm, refer an issue to the lower court or order a new trial ⁵	Civil Procedure Rules 52.20 ⁵

Permission to appeal at the UK Supreme Court

The UK Supreme Court publishes monthly tables of permission to appeal decisions. Each row gives the case name, the justices, the outcome, usually with its date, and reasons ³. The outcomes used are granted, granted in part and refused ³.

The court states that refusal of permission to appeal, and the reasons given for refusing it, have no status as a precedent ³. A refusal ends the attempt to reach that court. It does not create a ruling on the law.

Where the terms appear in the European Union

The Court of Justice of the European Union publishes its case law through InfoCuria, its case-law database and search engine ⁶. Users can find judgments, Opinions and orders to procedural documents, plus case summaries and press releases, in all 24 official EU languages ⁶.

The Court says an advanced search with filters such as outcome of the case is under development ⁶. Until then, the status of a case is read from the documents listed against it.

Stay is a separate question

A stay is an action taken by a court to stop a legal proceeding or the actions of a party ⁷. A case can be pending and stayed at the same time. A stay of execution halts the enforcement of a judgment or sentence ⁷. In England and Wales an appeal does not by itself stay the lower court's order ⁵.

Common questions

What does pending mean on a court record?

It means the case has no final decision yet. India's National Judicial Data Grid, for example, counts pending civil and criminal cases with age-wise breakdowns ².

Is a dismissed case over for good?

It depends on the type. Dismissal with prejudice prevents an identical case from being filed later. Dismissal without prejudice allows a later filing ¹.

What is the difference between reversed and remanded?

Reverse means a court sets aside the lower court decision. Remand means the appellate court sends the case back to a lower court for further proceedings ¹.

Does a refusal of permission to appeal set a precedent?

No. The UK Supreme Court says refusals and the reasons given for them have no status as a precedent ³.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@statusofrecord.com.

Sources

Stayed, vacated and remanded explained
What it means when a court case or order is stayed, vacated, remanded, reversed or affirmed, with the US and England and Wales rules behind each term.
Appeal pending: what it means
What appeal pending means on a court record, whether the lower court decision stays in force, and how to check an appeal in the US, UK, EU and India.
How to check the current status of a public matter
A five-step method to find the official record for a court case, bill or company, read its latest dated entry and spot what the record leaves out.
How to read an as-of date
How to tell the date a record was last updated from the date an event took effect, with examples from court, parliament, company and World Bank records.