In the legal sense, the term "merits" refers to a judgement made by the judge based on the facts presented. The judgement is largely based on the evidence presented and not the case presented by the attorneys.
please see this link..might be useful
http://www.bu.edu/bcrhhr/contents/contents%20may2005/Legal%20for%20Refugees/Merits%20Hearing%20Checklist.pdf