2010 Annual Director's Report - Judicial Discipline Reform

2010 Judicial Business 15
Judicial Business
For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010,
this report provides statistics on the work of the
Federal Judiciary, compares data for this year to
that for previous fiscal years, and offers available
explanations for increases or decreases
in caseloads. Separate sections of the report
address the appellate, district, and bankruptcy
courts; the probation and pretrial services system;
and other components of the Federal
Judiciary. Caseload totals for the major programs
of the Federal Judiciary are provided in the table
of judicial caseload indicators on page 14.
Nearly all major areas of the Federal Judiciary
had larger caseloads this year. Filings of bankruptcy
petitions climbed 14 percent to nearly 1.6 million.
In the U.S. district courts, total filings rose 2 percent
to 361,323 as civil case filings increased 2 percent to
282,895 and criminal case filings grew 2 percent to
78,428. The number of persons under postconviction
supervision rose 2.5 percent to 127,324.
Cases opened in the pretrial services system
increased 6 percent to 111,507. Only the U.S. courts
of appeals experienced a reduced caseload this
year with 55,992 filings, a decrease of 3 percent.
U.S. Courts of Appeals
Filings in the regional courts of appeals dropped
3 percent to 55,992. Filings of criminal, bankruptcy,
and administrative agency appeals declined. Civil
appeals remained relatively unchanged, and
original proceedings increased slightly. The overall
Appeals Filed, by Type
decline stemmed mainly from drops in criminal
appeals and in administrative agency appeals
involving the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
The number of appeals terminated fell 2 percent
to 59,526. Pending appeals dropped 7 percent to
46,351. The median time from filing of a notice of