Scheduling order

What scheduling order means

In practice, you will see scheduling order in pleadings, motions, orders and court rules. The definition above explains the general meaning. Even so, the meaning can shift with context. Therefore, always read it alongside the rule or document where it appears.

Where scheduling order comes up

For example, the term appears in these procedures:

• Scheduling Order and Pretrial Conferences (Fed. R. Civ. P. 16): the court's order setting deadlines for joining parties, amending pleadings, completing discovery and filing motions, and the conferences that manage the case.
• Motion to Modify the Scheduling Order (Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(b)(4)): a request to change a deadline in the court's scheduling order.

How to research the term

Start with the primary source. For example, if scheduling order appears in a federal rule, read the rule itself and its official notes. After that, check your court’s local rules and any standing orders from the judge. In addition, search recent decisions from your own state or federal district. They show how courts read scheduling order in practice. Because state rules often differ, our state procedures guide links to each state’s official rules. Above all, make sure the version you read is still in force.

You can read the official rule text online for free.

Related legal terms

• Good cause: a legally sufficient reason. Many rules require a showing of good cause before the court will grant a request.
• Continuance: postponement of a hearing, trial or deadline.
• Right of redemption: a right, under state law, to reclaim foreclosed property by paying the amount required within a set period.
• Sanctions: penalties a court may impose for violating rules or orders.
• Secondary source: material that explains or analyzes the law, such as treatises and articles, but is not itself the law.

Why precise terms matter

Legal words often look like everyday words, but they can carry a precise meaning. Because of that, a small misreading can change how you understand a deadline, a duty or a right. Our glossary keeps each definition short and links it to the procedures where it matters.