Legal Definitions - action calendar

An action calendar refers to a court's official schedule or list of cases that are ready for a specific judicial proceeding. This calendar helps the court organize its workload by identifying cases that require immediate attention, such as trials, hearings on motions, oral arguments, or other significant events that demand a formal date for resolution. It ensures that legal matters progress through the system efficiently and in an orderly fashion.

Here are a few examples to illustrate the concept:

• Civil Trial Scheduling: Imagine a complex business dispute where both sides have completed all preliminary investigations and exchanged all necessary documents. The lawyers have informed the court that they are prepared to present their arguments and evidence to a jury. At this point, the judge would place the case on the court's action calendar, assigning it a specific date for the trial to commence. This signifies that the case is ready for the next major judicial action – the trial itself.

• Motion Hearing: Consider a situation where a defendant in a lawsuit believes the plaintiff has waited too long to file their claim, exceeding the legal time limit (statute of limitations). The defendant's attorney files a "motion to dismiss" the case based on this argument. The court will then schedule a hearing to listen to arguments from both sides regarding the motion. This hearing would be placed on the court's action calendar, indicating it's a specific event requiring the judge's attention to rule on the motion.

• Criminal Sentencing: After a defendant in a criminal case has either pleaded guilty or been found guilty by a jury, the next step is for the judge to impose a sentence. Before sentencing, a probation officer might prepare a detailed report for the judge. Once this report is complete and all necessary information is gathered, the judge will schedule a sentencing hearing. This hearing is then added to the court's action calendar, marking it as a scheduled judicial action to finalize the case's outcome by determining the appropriate punishment.