U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. recently released the 2012 year-end Federal Judiciary Review, which focused on the federal courts’ efforts to contain costs.

Chief Justice Roberts detailed the federal judiciary’s $6.97 billion in appropriations for 2012, and he pointed out that this is only two-tenths of one percent of the United States’ total budget of $3.7 trillion.

“Even though the judiciary consumes such a tiny portion of the federal budget, it must continue to do its part to search out cost savings in the face of the government’s budget deficit,” Chief Justice Roberts said.

He said the federal judiciary continues to focus on cost saving measures such as rent, personnel expenses, and information technology, but also warned that it will become “increasingly difficult to economize further without reducing the quality of judicial services.”

“A significant and prolonged shortfall in judicial funding would inevitably result in the delay or denial of justice for the people the courts serve,” he said.

The report also included analysis of caseloads in various federal courts. Some of the statistical highlights include:

• In 2012, caseloads increased in the U.S. appellate courts and probation offices, but decreased in the U.S. district courts, bankruptcy courts, and pretrial services system.
• The total number of cases filed in the U.S. Supreme Court decreased from 7,857 filings in the 2010 Term to 7,713 filings in the 2011 Term, a decrease of 1.8 percent.
• Filings in the regional courts of appeals rose 4 percent to 57,501. Growth occurred in all types of appeals except civil appeals, which decreased 1 percent.
• Civil filings in the U.S. district courts fell 4 percent to 278,442 cases. Cases involving diversity of citizenship (i.e., cases between citizens of different states) declined 15 percent, mainly because of a drop in multidistrict litigation filings.
• Filings of bankruptcy petitions declined 14 percent to 1,261,140.
• The 132,340 people under post-conviction supervision on Sept. 30, 2012, represented an increase of 2 percent over the total from the previous year.

View a complete copy of the report.

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