NCJ Number
212578
Date Published
2005
Length
238 pages
Annotation
This report presents 2003 baseline information and statistics on State court structure, jurisdiction, reporting practices, and caseload volume and trends.
Abstract
The introduction provides an overview of the uses, components, and interpretation of State court caseload statistics. This is followed by court structure charts that portray the key features of each State's appellate and trial court organization. Eight figures provide information on each State's jurisdiction and State court reporting practices in 2003. They address reporting periods for all State courts; methods of counting cases in appellate courts; dollar-amount jurisdiction of original tort, contract, real property, and small claims filings in trial courts; criminal case unit of count used by trial courts; juvenile unit of count used in trial courts; trial courts with incidental appellate jurisdiction; number of authorized justices/judges in State courts; and the method of counting civil cases in trial courts. Sixteen tables present statistics on each State's court caseload for 2003. Four tables show trends for the period 1994-2003 for mandatory caseloads in appellate courts (case filings and dispositions); discretionary petitions in appellate courts (case filings and dispositions); felony caseloads in trial courts of general jurisdiction (incoming cases); and tort caseloads in trial courts of general jurisdiction (incoming cases). Appendixes describe the methodology for compiling this report, display the sources of 2003 State court caseload statistics, and show each State's resident population for 2003 and total State population for trend tables, 1994-2003.