NCJ Number
102826
Date Published
1986
Length
277 pages
Annotation
This annual report compiles all available 1984 trial and appellate court caseload data from the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico, along with charts showing caseload trends and State court systems.
Abstract
An introduction covers the historical development of the reporting system, uses of caseload statistics, and data collection and interpretation methods. Tables show the caseloads of States' final courts of appeal and intermediate appellate courts. These tables also categorize cases as mandatory, discretionary, and discretionary petitions that are granted review. Tables on trial court caseloads are sequenced from a general overview giving national totals to caseloads for civil, criminal, traffic/other violation, and juvenile courts. The report compares caseload data on tort, contract, real property rights, and small claims cases for 1981 and 1984. This analysis provides no evidence to support the existence of a litigation explosion in State trial courts. Charts of State court systems identify the following: all courts within a State and their route of appeal; the number of circuits/districts/divisions/counties/courts at each court level and the number of judges or justices; and the availability of jury trials for case types within each trial court. Appendixes provide a technical discussion of the estimation procedures, a source list, a prototype of the statistical profile used in 1984 data collection, and State population data.