Under Texas law, that is in every sense a decision on the merits of the appeal.

The court declined to make a decision on the merits of the case.

"But that cannot stand in the way of a decision on the merits.

People will say, of course, that they made the decision on the merits."

One might reasonably wonder if the Court wanted to avoid a decision on the merits.

But prosecutors in Queens said they had not yet reached a decision on the merits of the case.

We don't refer to a settlement as a win, because it isn't a legal decision on the merits.

I believe that the president can and should listen to such requests, although they cannot determine his decision on the merits.

It's our position that Eisentrager was a decision on the merits.

The board I served on tried hard to make decisions on the merits.

The Commission does not render decisions on the merits of individual complaints.

SonicBlue went bankrupt before the court reached a decision on the merits of the case.

"So far, every decision on the merits has ruled for the defendant who was 'Slapped.' "

Mr. Babbitt says his staff made the decision on the merits.

Most federal appellate courts publish less than half of their decisions on the merits.

It was not a decision on the merits.

"And he made his decisions on the merits."

The court said it would release a decision on the merits of the opposition's complaints as early as Monday.

The commission honored itself (and helped the economy) by taking each case separately and making decisions on the merits.

The Mayor insisted in an interview yesterday that he wasn't particularly concerned about a Republican primary, and had made his decision on the merits.

We are grateful for the prompt attention the court has given to this matter and we await its decision on the merits."

Privateering can often achieve the sponsor's aims well before a decision on the merits of the case brought by the privateer.

Nonetheless, Ms. Rosa said, the allegations were of such public interest that they warranted a decision on the merits.

However, since this case came to the Court through mandatory appellate review, the summary dismissal is a decision on the merits of the case.

Decisions on the merits of candidates aside, the picture has been somewhat confused for voters because of recent changes in the Board's redistricting plan.