See also: Trial Court Caseloads Since 1870 (graphs)
| U.S. Circuit, District, and Territorial Courts, 1870-1911 U.S. District Courts, 1912-2017[1] |
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|
Year (ending)
|
Commenced
|
Terminated
|
Pending
|
|
1870 [2]
|
-
|
3,369
|
4,613
|
|
1871[3]
|
-
|
8,187
|
5,586
|
|
1872
|
-
|
8,092 a b
|
7,510
|
|
1873[4]
|
-
|
6,713 a
|
6,274
|
|
1874[5]
|
-
|
6,018 a
|
6,627
|
|
1875[6]
|
-
|
6,045 a
|
7,667
|
|
1876
|
-
|
7,095 a
|
7,441
|
|
1877[7]
|
-
|
8,103 a
|
6,538
|
|
1878[8]
|
-
|
10,873 b c
|
7,281
|
|
1879[9]
|
-
|
13,717 c
|
7,165
|
|
1880[10]
|
-
|
9,269 c
|
7,146
|
|
1881[11]
|
-
|
11,448 c
|
6,211
|
|
1882
|
-
|
7,494 b
|
3,891
|
|
1883
|
-
|
7,792
|
5,722
|
|
1884
|
-
|
12,542
|
5,437
|
|
1885[12]
|
-
|
11,977
|
3,808
|
|
1886
|
-
|
14,479
|
5,593
|
|
1887
|
-
|
12,905
|
7,346
|
|
1888
|
-
|
14,599
|
7,223
|
|
1889
|
-
|
14,588
|
7,212
|
|
1890
|
-
|
16,016
|
8,683
|
|
1891
|
-
|
18,327
|
10,325
|
|
1892
|
-
|
18,724
|
9,709
|
|
1893
|
-
|
21,935 b
|
9,410 b
|
|
1894
|
-
|
21,744
|
10,370
|
|
1895
|
-
|
25,949
|
12,499 b
|
|
1896
|
-
|
26,271
|
11,746
|
|
1897
|
-
|
18,134
|
10,958
|
|
1898
|
-
|
16,814
|
10,147
|
|
1899
|
-
|
17,341
|
10,228
|
|
1900
|
-
|
17,033
|
10,047
|
|
1901
|
-
|
16,837
|
9,944
|
|
1902
|
-
|
16,350
|
9,602
|
|
1903
|
-
|
16,034
|
11,039 d
|
|
1904
|
18,488
|
17,443
|
12,243 d
|
|
1905
|
18,900
|
18,163
|
13,040 d
|
|
1906
|
17,435
|
16,357
|
14,113 d
|
|
1907
|
18,332
|
16,006
|
8,852[13]
|
|
1908
|
13,345
|
12,942
|
9,112 d
|
|
1909
|
14,505
|
13,959
|
9,729 d
|
|
1910
|
14,864
|
15,371
|
9,322 d
|
|
1911
|
15,047 b
|
14,702
|
9,708 d
|
|
1912
|
15,953
|
16,158
|
9,689 d
|
|
1913
|
16,753
|
16,757
|
9,242 d
|
|
1914
|
18,399
|
18,128
|
9,958 d
|
|
1915
|
19,868
|
19,120
|
10,559 d
|
|
1916
|
20,243
|
20,432
|
10,668 d
|
|
1917
|
19,628
|
17,671
|
12,649 d
|
|
1918
|
35,096
|
30,949
|
16,787 d
|
|
1919
|
47,443
|
35,734
|
28,617 d
|
|
1920
|
55,587
|
34,230
|
49,924 d
|
|
1921
|
54,487
|
47,299
|
56,782 d
|
|
1922
|
60,722
|
53,155
|
64,609 d
|
|
1923
|
71,077
|
68,152
|
67,263 d
|
|
1924
|
70,168
|
73,488
|
63,300 d
|
|
1925
|
76,136
|
92,711
|
46,812 d
|
|
1926
|
68,582
|
76,536
|
38,051 d
|
|
1927
|
64,614
|
67,279
|
35,341 d
|
|
1928
|
83,372
|
88,336
|
30,480 d
|
|
1929
|
86,348
|
85,328
|
31,153 d
|
|
1930
|
87,305
|
82,609
|
35,849
|
|
1931
|
83,747
|
91,701
|
27,895
|
|
1932
|
92,174
|
96,949
|
23,120
|
|
1933
|
82,675
|
84,780
|
20,903 d
|
|
1934
|
34,152
|
45,577
|
9,478
|
|
Jul 1-Dec 31, 1934
|
15,972
|
13,862
|
11,588
|
|
Jan 1-Jun 30, 1935[14]
|
19,393
|
19,349
|
11,469
|
|
1936
|
35,920
|
36,396
|
11,007 d
|
|
1937
|
35,475
|
35,461
|
11,021
|
|
1938
|
34,202
|
34,324
|
10,899
|
|
1939
|
34,808
|
35,095
|
10,012
|
|
1940
|
33,401
|
33,861
|
9,553
|
|
1941
|
31,823
|
32,207
|
9,169
|
|
1942
|
33,294
|
31,114
|
11,385
|
|
1943
|
36,588
|
36,245
|
11,728
|
|
1944
|
39,621
|
40,406
|
10,943
|
|
1945
|
39,429
|
39,355
|
11,017
|
|
1946
|
33,203
|
35,215
|
9,005
|
|
1947
|
34,563
|
35,444
|
8,124
|
|
1948
|
33,300
|
33,573
|
7,851
|
|
1949
|
35,686
|
35,662
|
7,875
|
|
1950
|
37,720
|
37,414
|
8,181
|
|
1951
|
39,830
|
40,310
|
7,701
|
|
1952
|
39,022
|
37,929
|
8,794
|
|
1953
|
38,504
|
37,780
|
9,518
|
|
1954
|
43,196
|
42,614
|
10,100
|
|
1955
|
37,123
|
38,580
|
8,643
|
|
1956
|
30,653
|
32,053
|
7,243
|
|
1957
|
30,078
|
29,826
|
7,495
|
|
1958
|
30,737
|
30,781
|
7,451
|
|
1959
|
30,653
|
30,377
|
7,727
|
|
1960
|
29,828
|
29,864
|
7,691
|
|
1961
|
30,268
|
29,881
|
8,078
|
|
1962
|
31,017 d
|
30,013 d
|
9,082 d
|
|
1963
|
31,746 d
|
31,546 d
|
9,282 d
|
|
1964
|
31,733
|
31,437
|
9,578
|
|
1965
|
33,334
|
32,078
|
10,834
|
|
1966
|
31,494
|
30,644
|
11,684
|
|
1967
|
32,207
|
30,350
|
13,541
|
|
1968
|
32,571
|
31,349
|
14,763
|
|
1969
|
35,413
|
32,406
|
17,770
|
|
1970
|
39,959
|
36,819
|
20,910
|
|
1971
|
43,157
|
39,582
|
24,485
|
|
1972
|
49,054
|
48,101
|
25,438
|
|
1973
|
42,434
|
43,456
|
24,416
|
|
1974
|
39,754
|
41,526
|
22,644
|
|
1975
|
43,282
|
43,515
|
22,411
|
|
1976[15]
|
41,020
|
43,675
|
19,756
|
|
1977
|
41,464
|
44,111
|
17,150 d
|
|
1978
|
35,983
|
37,286
|
15,878 d
|
|
1979
|
32,688
|
31,874
|
15,135 d
|
|
1980
|
28,921
|
28,089
|
14,784 d
|
|
1981
|
31,287
|
30,221
|
15,866 d
|
|
1982
|
32,682
|
31,889
|
16,659
|
|
1983
|
35,872
|
33,985
|
18,587 d
|
|
1984
|
36,845
|
35,494
|
19,938
|
|
1985
|
39,500
|
37,139
|
22,299
|
|
1986
|
40,427
|
38,380
|
24,453 d
|
|
1987
|
42,156
|
41,087
|
25,263 d
|
|
1988
|
43,503
|
40,986
|
27,311 d
|
|
1989
|
44,891
|
41,707
|
30,413
|
|
1990
|
47,411 d
|
42,765 d
|
35,021 d
|
|
1991
|
45,735
|
42,788
|
37,968
|
|
1991[16]
|
47,123
|
43,073
|
39,562
|
|
1992[17]
|
48,366
|
44,147
|
34,078 d
|
|
1993
|
46,786
|
44,800
|
28,701 d
|
|
1994
|
45,473
|
45,129
|
26,328 d
|
|
1995
|
45,788
|
41,527
|
28,738 d
|
|
1996
|
47,889
|
45,499
|
32,156 d
|
|
1997
|
50,363
|
46,887
|
37,237 d
|
|
1998
|
57,691
|
51,428
|
40,277 d
|
|
1999
|
59,923
|
56,511
|
42,966 d
|
|
2000
|
62,745
|
58,102
|
47,677 d
|
|
2001
|
62,708
|
58,718
|
49,696 d
|
|
2002
|
66,128
|
60,991
|
55,518 d
|
|
2003
|
70,642
|
65,628
|
59,218 d
|
|
2004
|
71,022
|
64,621
|
65,900 d
|
|
2005
|
69,575
|
66,561
|
69,932 d
|
|
2006
|
66,860
|
67,499
|
71,916 d
|
|
2007
|
68,413
|
67,851
|
73,418 d
|
|
2008
|
70,896
|
70,629
|
75,340 d
|
|
2009
|
76,655
|
75,077
|
79,068 d
|
|
2010
|
78,428
|
78,069
|
81,079 d
|
|
2011
|
78,440
|
79,839
|
79,680
|
|
2012
|
71,303
|
74,308
|
76,493
|
|
2013
|
68,918
|
69,279
|
76,627
|
|
2014
|
62,722 | 64,985 | 73,838 |
|
2015
|
61,202 | 61,555 | 72,059 |
|
2016
|
59,064 | 59,365 | 71,618 |
|
2017
|
59,768 | 57,812 | 73,874 |
|
These charts are designed to give readers historical information about judicial caseloads and will not be updated in the near future. More detailed information on federal court caseloads is available in the Annual Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the Judicial Business of the United States. The Judicial Business since 1997 is available online at http://www.uscourts.gov/Statistics/JudicialBusiness.aspx. |
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| Notations: a: calculated from totals of customs prosecutions, internal revenue prosecutions, prosecutions under enforcement act, prosecutions under naturalization act, and miscellaneous prosecutions. b: discrepancy between exhibit and text of the report. c: calculated from totals reported for prosecutions under customs, internal revenue, Post-office, election laws, the civil rights acts, naturalization laws, intercourse laws, pension laws, embezzlement, and miscellaneous. d: revised total presented in the subsequent year's report. e: total is for individual defendants, not cases. |
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| Notes:
[1] Data includes cases in the courts of the District of Columbia and district courts in U.S. territories and possessions.
[2] Statistical year is January 1-December 31. No data submitted from the following districts: Delaware, Northern Florida, Southern Florida, Maine, Minnesota, Northern Mississippi, Western Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, Eastern Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Eastern Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Eastern Wisconsin, District of Columbia, Colorado, Idaho, and Utah.
[3] No data submitted by the following districts: Southern Florida, Northern Florida, Nevada, Eastern Texas, Western District of Virginia, Arizona Territory, Colorado Territory, and New Mexico Territory.
[4] Statistical year shifts to July 1-June 30. No data submitted by the following districts: Minnesota, Nevada, Western Texas, Idaho, New Mexico, Washington.
[5] No data submitted by the districts of Arizona and Nevada.
[6] No data submitted by the District of Washington.
[7] No data submitted by the territories of Dakota and Montana.
[8] No data submitted by the Northern District of Mississippi.
[9] No data submitted by the districts of Idaho and Wyoming.
[10] No data submitted by the District of Idaho.
[11] No reports submitted by the territories of Montana and New Mexico.
[12] No report submitted by Territory of New Mexico.
[13] This revised total represents a major change from the total reported the previous year. Total criminal cases reported as pending at the end of 1907 was 16,441.
[14] Department of Justice adopted new procedures for compiling statistics during the year and published its data for the first part of the statistical year, based on the old system, as separate tables.
[15] Data beginning in this year follows different criteria based on requirements of the Speedy Trial Act of 1974. Under the new system, the courts reported more minor offenses than had previously been reported. Courts also ceased reporting so-called superseding indictments or informations, in which government attorneys filed informations subsequent to the original indictment. These superceding informations had previously been counted as new filings. According to the AO report, the statistics for criminal cases "should be regarded as non-comparable" to the criminal statistics from prior years.
[16] Beginning in 1992, the statistical year was shifted to coincide with the fiscal year, which ended on September 30. The 1992 report included statistics for the 12-month period ending September 30, 1991, which are included here.
[17] Statistical year changed to ending September 30.
|
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| Sources: 1871: Annual Report of the Attorney General (1872), Exhibit B. 1872: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Exhibit D. 1873-1902: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Exhibit B. 1903-1904: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Exhibit 12. 1905-1908: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Exhibit 7. 1909: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Exhibit 9. 1910-1912: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Appendix 1. 1913: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Appendix 2. 1914-1934: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Exhibit 2. 1935-1939: Annual Report of the Attorney General , Exhibit 2, Table 2A. 1940: Annual Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts , Table 11. 1941-1944: Annual Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts , Table 10. 1945-1985: Annual Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts , Table D-1. 1986-2017: Annual Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts , Table D. |
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