NCJ Number
137896
Journal
State Court Journal Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1992) Pages: 11-15,35
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Data from the National Center for State Courts' annual report on caseloads are used to review recent changes in the volume, composition, and trends of trial and appellate court caseloads.
Abstract
The statistics show that caseload volume increased substantially in many States. More than 100 million new cases were filed in State courts in 1990. Mandatory appeals and discretionary petitions to State appellate courts accounted for nearly one-quarter of the filings; the remainder were trial court filings. Civil trial court filings increased by 5 percent over the 1989 total. Filings for all categories of trial court cases continued to rise. Nevertheless, the 1990 clearance rate for criminal cases in general jurisdiction courts exceeded the 3-year rate in two- thirds of the States. Domestic relations cases formed the largest civil caseload category, followed by torts, contracts, and real property rights. Felony filings represented 28 percent of the total criminal cases, while misdemeanors comprised 60 percent, and DUI, criminal appeals from lower trial courts, and miscellaneous criminal cases totaled 12 percent. The volume of appeals heard in intermediate appellate courts (IACs) and courts of last resort (COLRs) reached a record high in 1990. Mandatory appeals in IACs and discretionary appeals in COLRs increased most rapidly. 1 note and 5 figures