Case Calendar

Overview

Case Calendar turns federal court docket activity from CourtListener into feeds of hearings and filing deadlines. It is best suited to journalists and researchers following public-interest cases who can run a Python command-line tool. Its calendar monitoring is useful, but docket delays and date-extraction errors rule it out as a source of record for consequential deadlines.

Key features

Case Calendar generates a separate iCalendar (ICS) feed for each case, so users can subscribe from calendar apps that support the format. It sends only deadlines classified as major to subscriber calendars, while procedural filings stay in an audit trail. That keeps the calendar focused, but means the feed does not capture every docket event.

Events preserve the court’s local time zone, including across daylight-saving changes, which matters when following hearings in different jurisdictions. Optional one-way sync can push events to Google Calendar or Microsoft 365 and Outlook after a one-time OAuth setup. A real-time CourtListener webhook can bypass the daily polling quota; without one, updates depend on polling and on entries reaching CourtListener through PACER and RECAP. Unmonitored dockets can lag by months or longer.

Opt-in AI summaries draw on primary documents and dispositions, link action phrases to source court documents, and refresh when certain documents or event statuses change. Users can choose hosted APIs from Anthropic, Google Gemini or OpenAI, or run a local Ollama model. Local processing avoids per-token API costs and keeps docket text and PDF contents on the host, according to the project’s documentation. Hosted models may add LLM API costs.

Deadline extraction is automated, but the maker warns that dates can be missed or misread. Case Calendar is a convenience layer over public dockets, not attorney calendaring software or the authoritative record. Check the source docket before relying on consequential dates.

Pricing

Case Calendar is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license. There are no paid plans or seat tiers to compare. Operating costs can still arise from hosted LLM APIs, and CourtListener API quota limits apply; local Ollama models avoid per-token API charges but still require users to run and configure the software themselves.

Platforms

The project supports Linux and macOS, and Windows through WSL2. It is a Python command-line tool installed from its public GitHub repository, configured with docket information and API credentials. Its generated static index can be hosted behind an HTTP server, so it offers self-hosting rather than a conventional managed web app.

Who it's for

Case Calendar suits reporters, researchers and others tracking public-interest federal cases who want a per-case calendar feed and are comfortable with command-line setup. It is less suitable for law firms or anyone who needs authoritative, complete deadline management: CourtListener may receive docket entries late, extraction can misread dates, and the maker explicitly says the tool is not a replacement for attorney calendaring software.

Pros and cons

Pros

Focused feeds: Separate ICS calendars make it practical to follow selected cases, with major deadlines surfaced while procedural filings remain in the audit trail.

Local-time events: Court time zones persist through daylight-saving changes, reducing ambiguity for hearings across jurisdictions.

Flexible summaries: Users can choose hosted AI providers or local Ollama models; local processing avoids per-token fees and keeps docket documents on the host.

Open source: The Apache-2.0 license allows users to inspect and adapt the project.

Cons

Not a deadline authority: Automated extraction can miss or misread dates, so consequential dates require a source-docket check.

Source data can be late: Updates depend on CourtListener receiving entries through PACER and RECAP; unmonitored dockets may lag for months or longer.

Requires self-setup: Installation, docket configuration and API credentials make it a better fit for technically comfortable users than those seeking a turnkey calendar service.

Usage may incur costs: Hosted AI APIs can charge per use, and CourtListener quotas constrain polling unless a real-time webhook is configured.

Alternatives

For a broader set of legal calendaring options, see Legal Calendaring Software.

Dockets.ca is a paid option available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows; consider it if you need a different docket-monitoring product or broader platform coverage.

JudgeCalc has a free calculator with no sign-up or login, plus a Pro plan billed per seat monthly or yearly; choose it if your main need is deadline calculation rather than case-based docket feeds.

Deadlines.com is a paid service for iOS, macOS, web and Windows, with a 30+ case plan at $20.00 per case/per month, unlimited users and nationwide coverage; consider it for a multi-case service with user seats and nationwide coverage.

CalendarRules is a paid web subscription with a free trial and jurisdiction- and court-selected rule sets; choose it if court-rule coverage is central to your workflow.

Court Deadline Calculator is a free web tool for basic deadline calculations; pick it for calculations without docket feeds.

Deadline Engine offers a free web calculator with citations and calculation steps and a one-off Evidence Record plan at $19.99; choose it when you need to inspect how a deadline was calculated.

Docket Enterprise is an on-premise application for Android, iOS, self-hosted and Windows deployments; consider it if an on-premise application is the priority.

ClockOrbit Court Deadline Calculator is a free web legal deadline tool; choose it for deadline calculations without payment.

Verdict

Choose Case Calendar if you want free, open-source feeds for following public federal cases and can manage a Python CLI deployment. Its case-by-case calendars, local-time handling and optional summaries make monitoring more organized; its dependence on delayed docket data and fallible date extraction makes it the wrong tool to trust with filing deadlines without checking the source docket.