NCJ Number
79723
Date Published
1981
Length
67 pages
Annotation
This report discusses actions necessary to deal with the civil case backlog in Federal district courts.
Abstract
To determine whether and why a backlog exists and what could be done to alleviate it, the General Accounting Office (GAO) selected 9 Federal district courts for review and sampled 1,989 cases out of a universe of 18,807. 'Backlog' was defined as those cases pending 1 year or longer from date of filing. GAO found that courts were not taking full advantage of magistrates or personnel from the clerks' offices to assist in processing civil cases. Also, lack of judicial manpower has contributed to the civil backlog. GAO recommends that the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure be amended to include maximum time limits for the various steps of the civil process and to require each court to establish time frames within these limits. District courts should also be encouraged to better use their clerks' offices in the administration of the courts and to make greater use of magistrates. Overall, timely processing of large volumes of cases requires a combination of good court administration as well as sufficient resources. District court and other agency comments are included. Tabular data, footnotes, and an appendix presenting related correspondence are supplied. (Author abstract modified)