NCJ Number
81475
Journal
Justice System Journal Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1981) Pages: 279-434
Editor(s)
R R Wheeler
Date Published
1981
Length
155 pages
Annotation
This introduction to a symposium focusing on the appellate courts and judicial administration emphasizes the scarcity of material on the appellate courts generally and highlights the topics of included articles.
Abstract
Until recently, attention to appellate courts has meant a focus on the United States Supreme Court. This attitude has diverted attention from those courts in which the great bulk of appellate business is completed. Attention to appellate courts is particularly important, as the structure of appellate decisionmaking has changed with the addition of intermediate appellate courts in many jurisdictions. In addition, proposed changes in judicial administration for reducing trial court case processing time cannot be properly evaluated without considering relative effects on the appellate court. Articles appearing in this symposium issue are arranged within a framework moving from input through case processing. The collection begins with an examination of the selection of Federal appellate judges; aspects of senatorial participation in the selection process are emphasized. This work is followed by a presentation of case processing data from selected State appellate courts. An examination of remedies proposed to deal with appellate backlog and delay is then presented. Three articles on the internal processing of cases follow: an examination of the use of law clerks in the State supreme court, an extended discussion of a State appellate court's treatment of different types of appeals, and an examination of opinions which are designated 'not for publication.' Seventeen references are presented.