A docket [sheet] is a "minute, abstract, or brief entry; or the book containing such entries. A formal record, entered in brief, of the proceedings in a court of justice. A book containing an entry in brief of all the important acts done in court in the conduct of each case, from it's inception to it's conclusion. .... " [Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Edition, 1990] .

Generally speaking, whenever a lawsuit is filed, the Clerk of the Court files each pleading or other court papers submitted to the court and simutaneously creates a log of each item filed. Today, these logs are kept electronically. Once an item on the docket sheet is identified, a paper copy of the actual item can be obtained for a nominal cost through the clerk's office.