NCJ Number
88481
Journal
State Court Journal Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1983) Pages: 16-28
Date Published
1983
Length
8 pages
Annotation
From fiscal year 1977-78 to fiscal year 1981-82, the filings of civil cases in State courts increased at a rate of about 6.7 percent per year, while the filings of criminal cases in these courts increased at a rate of just over 9.4 percent per year.
Abstract
During the same period, the U.S. adult population increased 7.7 percent. If these filing rates keep increasing into the future, the civil case filing volume will double every 11.5 years, and criminal filings will double every 9 years. The State case filings constitute 98 percent of all court cases filed in the United States. In almost every State, large increases in appellate caseloads are also occurring. Appellate filings, especially appeals to intermediate appellate courts, are increasing at a faster pace than trial court filings. If this rate of increase continues, appellate filings will double every 8.5 years. Data on State court filings have been unavailable in the past but are now provided as a result of the National Court Statistics Project. In addition, an advance report presents recent information based on responses to a questionnaire sent to each State court administrative office. The advance report is most useful in providing estimates of the composition and trends of State court caseloads in the United States. Tables, figures, and reference notes are provided.