NCJ Number
58649
Date Published
1978
Length
60 pages
Annotation
PUBLIC COMMENTS WERE PRESENTED AT HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE OF THE JUDICIARY IN MARCH 1977 CONCERNING THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL DISTRICT AND CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES.
Abstract
PERSONS MAKING PRESENTATIONS AT THE HEARINGS WERE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES, THE CHIEF JUDGE OF THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS (NINTH CIRCUIT), THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JUDICIAL CONFERENCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON JUDICIAL STATISTICS, THE ACTING DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION'S WASHINGTON, D.C., OFFICE, AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION. THE HEARINGS CENTERED AROUND JUDICIAL PROBLEMS AND THE RESOLUTION OF THESE PROBLEMS BY AUTHORIZING MORE JUDICIAL MANPOWER IN DISTRICT AND CIRCUIT COURTS. JUDICIAL PROBLEMS WERE UNDERSCORED IN STATISTICS INDICATING THAT THE VOLUME OF CASES FILED IN DISTRICT COURTS INCREASED FROM 92,000 IN 1950 TO OVER 171,000 IN 1976. CONGRESS RESPONDED TO THIS GREATER CASELOAD BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF DISTRICT COURT JUDGES FROM 18 TO 400. NO NEW OMNIBUS LEGISLATION CREATING ADDITIONAL DISTRICT COURT JUDGES, HOWEVER, HAS BEEN ENACTED IN NEARLY 7 YEARS, EVEN THOUGH ANNUAL CASES HAVE RISEN BY MORE THAN 25 PERCENT PER JUDGE. IN 1953, CASES FILED IN CIRCUIT COURTS OF APPEAL TOTALED 3,226. THESE COURTS HAD A COMPLEMENT OF 57 JUDGES, REPRESENTING AN AVERAGE OF 56 CASES PER JUDGE. BY 1975, TOTAL CASES FILED IN CIRCUIT COURTS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY AND THERE WAS AN AVERAGE OF 191 CASES PER JUDGE, WITH THE 75-JUDGE COMPLEMENT AS OF THAT YEAR. PRESENTATIONS MADE AT THE HEARINGS DEAL WITH VARIOUS FACETS OF THE NEED FOR MORE DISTRICT AND CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES, AS REFLECTED IN RECOMMENDATIONS OF HOUSE RESOLUTION 3685. (DEP)