The CalendarRules rules-based scheduling engine, which DocketCalendar uses to perform date calculations, relies upon two factors that apply in virtually every case.

First, the deadlines are almost always based upon–or triggered by–events described by a court's procedural rules.

Second, the procedural rules normally specify the length of time before or after that event that a deadline expires and the formula to be used to calculate that date.  

CalendarRules attorneys have identified the procedural rules that apply to a large percentage of the Federal and State courts and other tribunals that decide cases in the United States. From their review of those procedural rules, they have extracted the information that is is stored in the CalendarRules database and then utilized by DocketCalendar to perform deadline calculations:

• Court Rules: All of the rules of procedure that apply in a case pending before a particular court or tribunal, or if available, a particular judge, are consolidated into a single set of rules applicable to a particular Jurisdiction.
• List of Triggers for Each Jurisdiction: A comprehensive list of the trigger events–the events upon which deadlines are based–contained in all procedural rules applicable to the jurisdiction.
• Related Events: A comprehensive list of the related events–deadlines–that are expressly calculated in reference to each trigger event and for each related event, the time period allowed by the procedural rules to comply with it.
• Deadline: A specific due date calculated from court rules.

• Holiday List: A list of the official holidays applicable to the rule set for each jurisdiction.
• Service Types: The types of service of court papers recognized under the applicable procedural rules for each jurisdiction.
• Date Rule: For each related event, the formulas specified in the procedural rules that describe how to calculate the deadline, including how the time period is affected by service types and when the deadline falls on a weekend or legal holiday.
• Rule Text: For each related Event, an ID and snippet of text for each provision of the procedural rules that describes the event and its relation to the trigger event and prescribes the time period for compliance.

• Calendar: Events created by a rules calculation will be placed automatically on you calendar. You can save which Calendars DocketCalendar saves Deadlines to for for each Case.

• ‍Jurisdiction: DocketCalendar uses the term jurisdiction as a shorthand to refer to all of the procedural rules that govern rule calculation for a case. Each jurisdiction on the use rules screen will automatically apply the federal rules of civil procedure, the local rules for that district.‍

• ‍Trigger, Trigger Event or Trigger Item: Virtually every deadline in a case is based upon and relates to an event spelled out in the procedural rules. In DocketCalendar, these events are called trigger events, trigger items or simply triggers. For example, summons and complaint served is the trigger. ‍‍

• ‍Trigger Date: This is simply the date of the trigger event. Depending upon the trigger, it may be a date in the past or future, or today’s date—for example, the date of an upcoming trial or the date when a motion was served.

• ‍Related Events: This term refers to the deadlines and court appointments produced by a rules calculation based upon a trigger.  Most related events are deadlines, but where a trigger itself is a case-related court appointment that should appear on your calendar—e.g., deposition, hearing, trial, etc.—DocketCalendar will include it in the list as a Related Event.

• ‍Court Days; Holiday List; Rolling–Backward or Forward: When a deadline falls on a weekend or legal holiday. Each court has unique rules for how to address what to do with deadlines that land on a weekend or holiday. When court rules specify that a deadline is to be moved to the next court day, DocketCalendar refers to it as rolling forward; when court rules specify that the deadlines is to be moved to the previous court day, DocketCalendar refers to it as rolling backward.  

• ‍Service Type: Where a trigger is the service of a case filing, procedural rules in many courts add a period of time to the calculation of the related deadlines, depending upon the method of service or service type–for example, personal service, electronic service, service by mail, etc. DocketCalendar calls the addition of time to a deadline based upon the service type a service type offset. ‍

• Date Rule: When related events are calculated, DocketCalendar will allow you to view an abbreviated summary of the formula it used to calculate the deadline.  This is known as the date rule. DocketCalendar will also give you the option to include the date rule on your calendar entry for each of the related events. ‍

• Court Rule: DocketCalendar also allows you to view the text of the procedural rules which were used to formulate the date rule on which a deadline is based and the option to include the text in the body of the calendar entry for the deadline on your calendar. The court rule consists of two components:

• Rule Text: One or more excerpts from the rules of procedural applicable to the case.
• Rule ID: An abbreviation for the name of the applicable rules of civil procedure followed by the paragraph or section number for each rule text excerpt. For example, CCP 412.20(a)(3); 430.40(a), referring to two sections of the California Rules of Civil Procedure.

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