NCJ Number
146901
Date Published
1980
Length
336 pages
Annotation
U.S. district courts witnessed a dramatic change in their workloads during the 10-year period from 1970 to 1979; both civil and criminal case filings increased moderately during the early years of the decade, criminal filings peaked at 49,054 cases in 1972, and civil cases continued rising slightly until a precipitous increase occurred between 1975 and 1979.
Abstract
Case dispositions also rose during the period, with more than 140,000 civil cases terminated in 1979 compared to just over 80,000 in 1970. With terminations consistently running at a slightly lower level than incoming cases, the volume of pending civil cases rose 91 percent, from 93,207 in 1970 to 177,805 in 1979. Toward the end of the decade, the Omnibus Judgeship Act of 1978 provided additional assistance to district courts to partially absorb their increased workloads and responsibilities. The new complement of judges, increased services of U.S. magistrates, the addition of staff assistance for district judges, and various administrative changes allowed district courts to increase their termination rates by 78.2 percent while filings increased by 77.1 percent. The actual level of pending cases rose by 91 percent, whereas the increase was almost 49 percent on a per authorized judgeship basis. Detailed statistical tables are provided on civil and criminal cases.