NCJ Number
147917
Date Published
1993
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This annual report, published by the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts for fiscal year 1992- 1993, describes the work of the Arkansas judiciary, especially the activities of trial and appellate courts.
Abstract
The Arkansas court system has three tiers: (1) Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; (2) circuit, chancery, and probate courts; and (3) limited jurisdiction courts. Court workloads for 1992-1993 were measured by the number of cases filed (appeals, petitions, and motions) and disposed of during the year. Appeals filed in the Supreme Court totaled 514, a small increase over the previous year but a 6.6- percent increase over the last 4 years. The number of appeals, petitions, and motions filed during 1992-1993 totaled 787, while the number of terminations totaled 777. At the end of the year, 235 appeals were pending. About 598 days in criminal cases and 785 days in civil cases were required for an action to be filed in the trial court and a final decision to be reached by the Supreme Court. Appeals filed in the Court of Appeals totaled 1,129, with 1,139 appeal terminations. In courts of general jurisdiction, combined filings of criminal, civil, chancery, juvenile, and probate cases rose to 160,765 in 1992-1993, an increase of 3.1 percent over 1991-1992 and 15 percent over the last 4 years. Arkansas trial courts terminated 164,533 cases in 1992-1993; with the increase in terminations, the number of cases pending decreased by almost 20 percent. Municipal court filings rose by over 60 percent to 737,906 cases; 32,658 cases were filed in city courts. The annual report covers court administration, judicial system funding, and accomplishments of the Arkansas court system.