Motion Outcomes compares how selected courts or judges have resolved a particular type of motion. Use it to see whether historical motion results differ across courts or judges and to compare those results with the broader population.
What it tells you
Section titled “What it tells you”Motion Outcomes shows the distribution of recorded motion decisions for the courts or judges you select.
Results are grouped into:
- Granted
- Denied
- Partial
The chart shows both the number and percentage of qualifying decisions for each selected court or judge, together with a broader comparison row.
Questions it can answer
Section titled “Questions it can answer”- How have selected judges ruled on a particular type of motion?
- How do two or more courts compare on the same motion?
- Is a selected court or judge more or less likely to grant a particular motion than the broader population?
- How do results change for a particular legal issue, technology, or time period?
- Does the motion-outcome pattern differ for ANDA, non-ANDA, HAE, or non-HAE matters?
How to interpret the analysis
Section titled “How to interpret the analysis”Motion Outcomes compares recorded decisions for the selected type of motion across the courts or judges you choose.
Each bar represents the mix of Granted, Denied, and Partial decisions within the selected research population. Decisions outside those categories are not included in the comparison.
A document can contain decisions on more than one motion, and those motion decisions are treated separately in the analysis.
The broader comparison row provides context for the selected courts or judges under the same research criteria.
Filters and defaults
Section titled “Filters and defaults”Start by choosing whether you want to compare Courts or Judges, then select the entities to include.
You can further refine the analysis by criteria such as:
- posture of motion
- type of document
- legal issue
- date range
- patent technology
- ANDA status
- HAE status
A Type of Document is required before the motion-outcome comparison can be generated.
Changing these filters changes the set of motion decisions represented in the chart.
Reading the results
Section titled “Reading the results”Each horizontal bar shows how the qualifying motion decisions were distributed among Granted, Denied, and Partial results.
Use the percentages when you want to compare outcome patterns across courts or judges with different numbers of decisions. Use the totals when the underlying volume is important to your analysis.
A strong percentage difference is most useful when considered together with the number of qualifying decisions. Smaller populations can produce percentages that look more dramatic than the underlying experience suggests.
Explore the underlying records
Section titled “Explore the underlying records”Use the chart and active filters to continue into the related Docket Navigator records when you need to review the decisions behind an aggregate result.
Review the underlying orders and case context before drawing conclusions from differences between courts or judges.
Important considerations
Section titled “Important considerations”Motion Outcomes describes historical motion decisions. It does not predict how a court or judge will rule on a future motion.
The analysis focuses on qualifying Granted, Denied, and Partial decisions, so it should not be interpreted as a count of every motion-related event in the selected cases.