Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 2020
In accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 604(a)(2), each year the Administrative Office of the United States Courts is required to provide a report of statistical information on the caseload of the federal courts for the 12-month period ending March 31.
This report presents data on the work of the appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts and on the probation and pretrial services systems. The following is a summary of key findings provided for the year ending March 31, 2020.
- In the U.S. courts of appeals, filings increased 5 percent.
- The bankruptcy appellate panels reported that filings fell 11 percent.
- Filings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dropped 3 percent.
- In the U.S. district courts, filings of civil cases grew 16 percent, while filings for criminal defendants rose 3 percent.
- The U.S. bankruptcy courts received 1 percent fewer petitions.
- The number of persons under supervision by the federal probation system on March 31, 2020, was 1 percent below the total reported one year earlier.
- Pretrial services cases activated in the past 12 months increased 5 percent.
U.S. Courts of Appeals
Filings in the 12 regional courts of appeals rose 5 percent to 50,258 (up 2,281 appeals) in 2020. This increase stemmed from higher filings of other private civil appeals and of criminal appeals, which more than offset decreases in U.S. prisoner petitions and private prisoner petitions.
Civil appeals increased by 732 cases to 27,500.
- Civil appeals not filed by prisoners rose 8 percent.
- Prisoner petitions fell 3 percent.
Criminal appeals grew 8 percent to 10,425, mainly because of a 19 percent increase in appeals related to drug offenses.
- Seventy-six percent of criminal appeals involved four offense categories: drugs, firearms and explosives, property offenses (including fraud), and immigration.
Appeals of administrative agency decisions rose 9 percent to 6,356, mostly due to growth in appeals of decisions by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
- BIA appeals accounted for 86 percent of administrative agency appeals and constituted the largest category of administrative agency appeals filed in each circuit except the DC Circuit.
Original proceedings and miscellaneous applications climbed 7 percent to 5,346.
- Sixty-six percent of original proceedings and miscellaneous applications involved second or successive motions for writs of habeas corpus, and 23 percent involved writs of mandamus.
- Of the 434 miscellaneous applications reported, motions for class actions accounted for 50 percent of the total.
Bankruptcy appeals declined 3 percent to 631.
| Since 2011 | Since 2016 | Since 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Filings | -9.9 | -6.3 | 4.8 |
| Criminal Appeals | -17.1 | -15.1 | 7.5 |
| Civil Appeals | -10.9 | -2.0 | 2.7 |
| U.S. Prisoner Petitions | -14.3 | -0.7 | -8.6 |
| Other U.S. Civil | -7.0 | -0.5 | 3.1 |
| Private Prisoner Petitions | -24.5 | -13.2 | -0.6 |
| Other Private Civil | 1.8 | 6.3 | 9.5 |
| Bankruptcy Appeals | -8.0 | -21.9 | -3.2 |
| Administrative Agency Appeals | -17.3 | -7.4 | 8.6 |
| Original Proceedings and Miscellaneous Applications1 | 35.3 | -5.1 | 6.7 |
| 1 Beginning in March 2014, data include miscellaneous cases not included previously. | |||
Case terminations rose 1 percent to 49,057. Pending cases increased 3 percent to 39,014.
For data on activity of the appellate courts, see the B series of tables.
Bankruptcy Appellate Panels
The Bankruptcy appellate panels (BAPs) reported that total filings decreased 11 percent to 527 (down 63 appeals). BAPs are units of the federal courts of appeals, and each BAP must be established by a circuit judicial council. Five federal judicial circuits—the First, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits—have BAPs.
This year, BAP filings fell in three circuits, increased in one circuit, and remained constant in one circuit. Filings dropped by 41 appeals (down 43 percent) in the Tenth Circuit, by 16 appeals (down 35 percent) in the Sixth Circuit, and by 9 appeals (down 13 percent) in the First Circuit. Filings grew by 3 appeals (up 9 percent) in the Eighth Circuit and were unchanged at 343 appeals in the Ninth Circuit.
For data on activity of the BAPs, see Tables BAP-1 and Tables BAP-2.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Filings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit fell 3 percent to 1,435.
- Filings related to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had the largest numeric decrease, a reduction of 109 appeals to 534 (down 17 percent).
- Filings involving the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims rose by 68 appeals to 137 (up 99 percent).
| Since 2011 | Since 2016 | Since 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Filings | 18.4 | -17.3 | -2.91 |
| U.S. District Court Appeals | -24.3 | -41.5 | -11.62 |
| U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Appeals | 480.4 | -2.2 | -16.95 |
| U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board Appeals | -37.6 | -45.0 | -18.75 |
Terminations of appeals declined 2 percent to 1,595 (down 30 appeals). The pending caseload fell 12 percent to 1,231 (down 161 appeals).
For data on activity of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, see Table B-8.
U.S. District Courts
Combined filings in the U.S. district courts for civil cases and criminal defendants increased by 49,183 (up 13 percent) to 425,945. Terminations held steady, falling by 564 (down less than 1 percent) to 389,102. As filings exceeded terminations, the total for pending civil cases and criminal defendants rose by 36,419 (up 8 percent) to 511,666.
Civil Filings
Civil filings in the U.S. courts increased 16 percent (up 46,443 cases) to 332,732.
Filings of cases involving diversity of citizenship (i.e., disputes between citizens of different states and/or between U.S. citizens and citizens of foreign nations) rose 49 percent to 140,812.
- Personal injury/product liability filings surged 97 percent (up 45,523 cases) as cases involving other personal injury/product liability climbed by 55,121 filings (up 548 percent). Most were part of multidistrict litigation filed in the Northern District of Florida that alleged injuries sustained while using 3M Combat Arms earplugs.
- Personal injury filings related to airplanes rose by 183 cases (up 1,220 percent) due mainly to cases filed in the Northern District of Illinois against Aerovias de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. and the Boeing Company following the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302.
Filings with the United States as defendant increased 6 percent to 38,919.
- Environmental matters filings climbed 54 percent (up 65 cases).
- Civil filings involving immigration grew 28 percent (up 519 cases) to 2,388.
- Contract filings rose 16 percent (up 42 cases to 311) as cases involving recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments increased 26 percent (up 37 cases).
- Prisoner petition filings grew 9 percent (up 991 petitions) to 12,118 as motions to vacate sentence increased 16 percent (up 885 cases) and petitions for writs of habeas corpus by alien detainees rose 10 percent (up 137 cases). Cases addressing civil rights dropped 6 percent (down 54 cases) to 832.
- Social Security case filings went up 1 percent (up 197 cases) to 17,776 as cases involving disability insurance increased 3 percent (up 243 cases) to 9,396.
Filings with the United States as plaintiff dropped 8 percent to 4,021.
- Contract actions declined 39 percent (down 206 cases).
- Cases involving recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments decreased 60 percent (down 244 cases) as defaulted student loan filings fell 71 percent (down 257 cases).
Federal question filings decreased 1 percent to 148,976.
- Cases dealing with environmental matters dropped 68 percent (down 527 cases).
- Cases addressing cable and satellite television declined 39 percent (down 204 cases).
- Intellectual property rights filings fell 17 percent (down 2,277 cases) as cases involving copyright decreased 34 percent (down 2,170).
- Contract filings went down 12 percent (down 559 cases) as insurance cases declined 33 percent (down 559 cases).
- Civil rights filings grew 2 percent (up 703 cases) as cases involving claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (Other) rose 5 percent (up 594), while cases addressing housing and accommodations dropped 14 percent (down 139 cases).
Civil case terminations declined 2 percent to 300,372.
- The Southern District of West Virginia terminated 20,170 cases. Most were part of multidistrict litigation related to pelvic repair products.
- The Southern District of Ohio terminated 2,577 cases. Most were part of multidistrict litigation alleging personal injuries or wrongful deaths arising from drinking water contaminated with C-8, a chemical also known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO).
Pending civil cases rose 9 percent to 397,492.
For data on activity related to civil cases in the district courts, see the C series of tables.
| Since 2011 | Since 2016 | Since 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Filings | 13.0 | 21.2 | 16.2 |
| Federal Question Cases | 5.7 | -0.4 | -1.3 |
| Diversity of Citizenship Cases | 30.3 | 69.7 | 49.5 |
| U.S. Defendant Cases | 8.6 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| U.S. Plaintiff Cases | -57.8 | -25.6 | -7.8 |
Criminal Filings
Criminal defendant filings (including transfers) in the U.S district courts grew 3 percent (up 2,740 defendants) to 93,213.
Filings for defendants charged with immigration offenses, which constituted 36 percent of all criminal defendant filings, rose 11 percent to 33,663 (this total does not include defendants charged with immigration crimes in petty offense cases disposed of by magistrate judges).
- Eighty-three percent of immigration defendant filings occurred in the five southwestern border districts. Immigration defendant filings within the southwestern border districts increased 19 percent.
- Filings climbed 68 percent in the Southern District of Texas (after growing 31 percent last year), rose 17 percent in the District of New Mexico (after increasing 14 percent last year), grew 12 percent in the District of Arizona (after climbing 44 percent last year), and remained relatively stable in the Western District of Texas (after increasing 63 percent last year).
- Filings declined 13 percent in the Southern District of California (after decreasing 5 percent last year).
Filings involving drug offenses, which accounted for 27 percent of total defendant filings, increased 1 percent to 25,466.
- Defendants charged with crimes involving drugs other than marijuana rose 4 percent to 23,256.
- Defendants charged with marijuana offenses dropped 21 percent to 2,210.
Defendants prosecuted for crimes in the category of general offenses (e.g., public-order crimes such as money laundering) increased 14 percent to 1,928. Filings for defendants accused of sex offenses remained relatively stable, decreasing less than 1 percent to 3,234. Defendant filings for firearms and explosives crimes dropped 3 percent to 12,122. Traffic offense filings fell 8 percent to 1,858 (this total does not include defendants charged with traffic crimes in petty offense cases disposed of by magistrate judges).
Filings associated with property offenses, which amounted to 10 percent of all defendant filings, fell 5 percent to 9,674.
Defendants charged with justice system offenses (i.e., crimes related to judicial proceedings, such as obstruction of justice or failure to appear) went down 1 percent to 838.
| Since 2011 | Since 2016 | Since 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Defendant Filings | -9.9 | 16.9 | 3.1 |
| Immigration Offense Defendants | 14.0 | 60.2 | 11.4 |
| Drug Crime Defendants | -17.3 | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| Firearms and Explosives Crime Defendants | 42.1 | 43.2 | -3.2 |
| Sex Offense Defendants | -0.1 | -5.7 | -0.4 |
| Property Crime Defendants | -46.2 | -17.3 | -4.9 |
Terminations for criminal defendants increased 8 percent to 88,730. The number for defendants pending rose 4 percent to 114,174.
For data on activity related to criminal defendants in the district courts, see the D series of tables.
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
Filings of bankruptcy petitions declined 1 percent to 764,282 (down 8,364 petitions). Of the 90 bankruptcy courts, 54 reported lower filings.
- The largest percentage decrease was a 16 percent reduction in the District of Wyoming. The largest numeric decline was a drop of 2,995 filings in the District of New Jersey.
- The highest percentage increase was a rise of 11 percent in the Northern District of Iowa.
Fewer petitions were filed under chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code. More petitions were filed under chapters 7, 9, 11, 12, and 15.
- Chapter 13 filings fell 3 percent to 281,048.
- Chapter 7 filings rose less than 1 percent to 475,279.
- Chapter 9 filings increased 100 percent to 6.
- Chapter 11 filings grew 2 percent to 7,167.
- Chapter 12 filings rose 24 percent to 638.
- Chapter 15 filings increased 47 percent to 144.
Petitions filed by debtors with predominantly business debts rose 4 percent to 23,114. Debtors with nonbusiness (i.e., largely consumer) debts filed 741,168 petitions, 1 percent fewer than the previous year. Nonbusiness cases accounted for 97 percent of all petitions.
| Since 2011 | Since 2016 | Since 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Total Filings |
-51.4 | -8.3 | -1.1 |
| Chapter 7 | -57.2 | -9.2 | 0.3 |
| Chapter 11 | -45.1 | -2.9 | 2.1 |
| Chapter 13 | -36.0 | -7.0 | -3.4 |
Terminations of bankruptcy cases fell 1 percent to 788,373. The number of cases pending on March 31 decreased 2 percent from the previous year’s total to 989,129.
Bankruptcy filings have fluctuated since the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) took effect in October 2005. The courts received 695,575 petitions in the 12 months ending March 31, 2007. Thereafter, filings increased every year until 2011, when 1,571,183 petitions were filed. In each of the last nine years, filings have declined. Total filings for 2020 are 51 percent below the post-BAPCPA peak reached in 2011, but 10 percent above the 2007 filing level.
For data on the activity of the bankruptcy courts, see the F series of tables.
Adversary Proceedings
Adversary proceedings are separate civil lawsuits that arise in bankruptcy cases, including actions to object to or revoke discharges, to obtain injunctions or other equitable relief, and to determine whether debt is dischargeable. Adversary proceedings may be associated with consumer bankruptcy cases, but most arise in cases filed under chapter 11. Because of time limits imposed by Section 546 of the bankruptcy code, the number of adversary proceedings filed usually is related to the number of chapter 11 cases filed two years earlier.
During the 12-month period ending March 31, 2020, the number of adversary proceedings filed rose 4 percent to 24,492. Thirty-four of the 90 bankruptcy courts experienced increases in filings during this reporting period, 55 bankruptcy courts reported declines in filings, and filings in 1 district remained unchanged. The growth in filings of adversary proceedings occurred despite the overall drop in bankruptcy filings.
The number of adversary proceedings terminated fell 5 percent to 23,766. The number of pending adversary proceedings rose 6 percent from the previous year to 24,427.
For data on adversary proceedings filed in the bankruptcy courts, see Table F-8.
Post-Conviction Supervision
The number of persons under post-conviction supervision as of March 31, 2020, fell 1 percent from the prior year to 126,875 (down 1,245 persons). Persons serving terms of supervised release on that date following release from a correctional institution remained relatively steady, decreasing less than 1 percent to 111,710.
- Eighty-eight percent of persons under post-conviction supervision on March 31, 2020, were serving terms of supervised release.
- Eleven percent of persons under post-conviction supervision were under supervision following the imposition of sentences of probation, and 1 percent were on parole.
Cases remaining open on March 31, 2020, that involved probation imposed by district and magistrate judges dropped 7 percent from the previous year’s total to 14,063.
Persons on parole, special parole, military parole, and mandatory release on the last day of the reporting period declined 6 percent to 837.
| Since 2011 | Since 2016 | Since 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Under Supervision | -1.7 | -8.1 | -1.0 |
| Serving Terms of Supervised Release | 7.1 | -5.4 | -0.2 |
| On Probation | -38.0 | -24.6 | -7.4 |
| On Parole | -57.3 | -29.4 | -6.3 |
The number of persons received for post-conviction supervision was 62,721, an increase of 5 percent from the previous year.
Closings of post-conviction supervision cases (excluding transfers and deaths) dropped 1 percent to 54,957 (down 577 cases).
In addition to their supervision duties, probation officers conduct investigations and prepare comprehensive reports to aid judges in sentencing convicted defendants. The officers’ presentence reports contain detailed background information on defendants and discuss issues related to the advisory sentencing guidelines.
- In 2020, probation officers wrote 78,194 presentence reports, an increase of 11 percent from the previous year.
- Ninety-three percent of the presentence reports addressed offenses for which the U.S. Sentencing Commission has promulgated sentencing guidelines.
For data on post-conviction supervision activity, see the E series of tables.
Pretrial Services
The number of cases opened in the pretrial services system equaled 109,036, an increase of 5 percent from 2019.
- A total of 436 pretrial diversion cases were activated, down 4 percent from the previous year.
The number of defendants received for supervision in the pretrial services system was 26,598, 7 percent above the number received in 2019.
- Defendants received for pretrial services supervision rose 7 percent to 25,951.
- Defendants received for pretrial diversion supervision dropped to 647, a 3 percent decrease from the previous year.
A total of 100,190 pretrial services cases were closed, an increase of 7 percent.
| Since 2011 | Since 2016 | Since 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cases Activated | -4.0 | 16.9 | 4.7 |
| Pretrial Services Cases Activated | -3.6 | 17.2 | 4.7 |
| Pretrial Diversion Cases Activated | -56.1 | -32.3 | -4.2 |
| Released on Supervision | -12.9 | 9.5 | 7.0 |
| Pretrial Supervision | -11.2 | 11.0 | 7.3 |
| Diversion Supervision | -51.1 | -30.4 | -2.6 |
Pretrial services officers prepare reports for judges to use in determining whether to order the release or detention of defendants. They also provide information judges use in establishing appropriate conditions for released defendants.
- Pretrial services officers interviewed 58,016 defendants (up 7 percent) and prepared 103,946 pretrial services reports (up 4 percent).
For persons under pretrial supervision, officers monitored their compliance with release conditions set by the courts, made referrals for support services that offer alternatives to detention (such as substance abuse treatment), and informed the courts and U.S. attorneys of apparent violations of release conditions.
- Defendants with release conditions grew 7 percent to 29,373.
For data on pretrial services activity, see the H series of tables.