Civil Filings for October 2018
Table 1. Civil Filings
Number Latest Month 23,951 Percent Change from previous month 19.0% Percent Change from 1 year ago -0.9% Percent Change from 5 years ago -7.5% The latest available data from the federal courts show that during October 2018 the government reported 23,951 new civil filings. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is up 19.0% over the previous month when the number of civil filings of this type totaled 20,124.
The comparisons of the number of civil filings are based on case-by-case court records which were compiled and analyzed by TRAC (see Table 1).
When monthly 2018 civil filings of this type are compared with those of the same period in the previous year, their number was only slightly down (-0.9%). Civil filings for October 2018 are lower than they were for the same period five years ago. Overall, the data show that civil filings of this type are down 7.5% from levels reported in October 2013.
The long term trend in civil filings for these matters going back five years is shown more clearly in Figure 1. The vertical bars in Figure 1 represent the number of civil filings of this type recorded each month. The superimposed line on the bars plots the six-month moving average so that natural fluctuations are smoothed out. One-year and five-year change comparisons are based upon the moving averages.
Types of filings
Cases were classified by the federal courts into general types. The single largest number of civil filings of these matters during October 2018 was for "Prisoner Petitions", accounting for 19.9% of civil filings.
As shown in Figure 2, additional categories with substantial numbers of civil filings were "Civil Rights " (17.0%) , "Contract" (10.9%), "Torts - Personal Injury - Product Liability" (10.4%), "Torts - Personal Injury - Other" (8.2%).
Jurisdiction
Within limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the federal district courts have jurisdiction to hear cases falling under any one of several categories. The single largest number of civil filings of these matters during October 2018 was under the classification "Federal Question", accounting for 52.6% of civil filings.
As shown in Figure 2, additional categories with substantial numbers of civil filings were "Diversity" (26.9%) , "U.S. Government Defendant" (12.2%), "U.S. Government Plaintiff" (1.2%), "Local Question" (0.0%).
Rankings: Specific Nature of Suits
Court filings are also classified based upon the specific nature of the suit. Table 2 shows the top nature of suit categories recorded in the matters filed during October 2018
Table 2. Top District filed
Nature of Suit Count Rank 1 yr ago 5 yrs ago Civil Rights 1,849 1 3 3 More Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability 1,686 2 1 7 More General Prisoner Petitions 1,468 3 4 2 More Other Civil Rights 1,429 4 5 4 More Insurance 1,300 5 2 8 More Other Personal Injury 1,213 6 14 16 More Employment 1,176 7 6 6 More Amer w/Disabilities - Other 1,030 8 15 21 More Other Contract 983 9 7 9 More Prison Condition 886 10 8 5 More
"Civil Rights" was the most frequent recorded nature of suit category. "Civil Rights" was ranked 3rd a year ago, while it was the 3rd most frequently invoked five years ago.
Ranked 2nd in frequency was the nature of suit category "Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability". "Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability" was ranked 1st a year ago, while it was the 7th most frequently invoked five years ago.
Ranked 3rd was "General Prisoner Petitions". "General Prisoner Petitions" was ranked 4th a year ago, while it was the 2nd most frequently invoked five years ago.
Among these top nature of suit categories, the one showing the greatest increase in civil filings — up 72.5 percent — compared to one year ago was "Other Personal Injury". This was the same category that had the largest increase — 196.8 percent — when compared with five years ago.
Again among the top ten nature of suit categories, the one showing the sharpest decline in civil filings compared to one year ago — down 62.5 percent — was "Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability". This was the same statute that had the largest decrease — 21.9 percent — when compared with five years ago.
Top Ranked Judicial Districts
Relative to population, the volume of civil matters of this type filed in federal district courts during October 2018 was 73.5 per every million persons in the United States. One year ago the relative number of filings was 79.2. Understandably, there is great variation in the per capita number of civil filings in each of the nation's ninety-four federal judicial districts.
Table 3. Top Ten Districts (per one million people)
Judicial District Percapita Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago La, E 675.4 1,140 1 2 4 More D. C. 366.0 254 2 3 2 More N. Y., S 226.1 1,198 3 6 6 More Delaware 215.2 207 4 5 5 More Ill, S 209.0 263 5 10 3 More Fla, S 153.3 1,140 6 12 8 More La, M 136.7 114 7 1 27 More N. J. 130.9 1,179 8 4 16 More Ind, S 107.1 436 9 8 47 More Tenn, M 105.3 266 10 61 35 More
The Eastern District of Louisiana — with 675.4 civil filings as compared with 73.5 civil filings per one million people in the United States — was the most active during October 2018. The Eastern District of Louisiana was ranked 2nd a year ago, while it was ranked 4th five years ago.
The District of Washington, D.C. ranked 2nd. The District of Washington, D.C. was ranked 3rd a year ago, while it was ranked 2nd five years ago.
The Southern District of New York now ranks 3rd. The Southern District of New York was ranked 6th a year ago as well as five years ago.
Recent entries to the top 10 list were Southern District of Florida (Miami) and Middle District of Tennessee (Nashville), now ranked 6th and 10th. These districts ranked 12th and 61st one year ago and 8th and 35th five years ago.
The federal judicial district which showed the greatest growth in the rate of civil filings compared to one year ago — 129.3 percent — was Middle District of Tennessee. Compared to five years ago, the district with the largest growth — 271.1 percent — was Eastern District of Louisiana .
In the last year, the judicial District Court recording the largest drop in the rate of civil filings — 86.3 percent — was Middle District of Louisiana. But over the past five years, Southern District of Illinois showed the largest drop — 22.5 percent.
Report Generated: November 19, 2018
