Civil Filings for August 2021
Table 1. Civil Filings
Number Latest Month 32,565 Percent Change from previous month 25.1% Percent Change from 1 year ago -44.5% Percent Change from 5 years ago 4.6% The latest available data from the federal courts show that during August 2021 the government reported 32,565 new civil filings. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is up 25.1% over the previous month when the number of civil filings of this type totaled 26,041.
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 2021 civil filings of this type are compared with those of the same period in the previous year, their number was down (-44.5%). Civil filings for August 2021 are higher than they were for the same period five years ago. Overall, the data show that civil filings of this type are up 4.6% from levels reported in August 2016.
Figure 1. Civil Filings Over the Last Five Years
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 August 2021 was for "Torts - Personal Injury - Product Liability", accounting for 43.4% of civil filings.
As shown in Figure 2, additional categories with substantial numbers of civil filings were "Prisoner Petitions " (11.5%) , "Civil Rights" (11.2%), "Contract" (8.4%), "Torts - Personal Injury - Other" (4.9%).
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 August 2021 was under the classification "Diversity", accounting for 55.9% of civil filings.
As shown in Figure 2, additional categories with substantial numbers of civil filings were "Federal Question" (31.0%) , "U.S. Government Defendant" (7.8%), "U.S. Government Plaintiff" (0.6%).
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 August 2021
Table 2. Specific Nature of Suit Types
Nature of Suit Count Rank 1 yr ago 5 yrs ago Personal Injury- Product Liability 11,995 1 1 1 More Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability 2,110 2 2 3 More Insurance 1,757 3 7 11 More Civil Rights 1,564 4 3 2 More Other Civil Rights 1,336 5 4 5 More General Prisoner Petitions 1,068 6 6 4 More Employment 983 7 14 7 More Amer w/Disabilities - Other 923 8 8 17 More Consumer Credit 905 9 12 9 More Other Personal Injury 822 10 11 16 More
"Personal Injury- Product Liability" was the most frequent recorded nature of suit category. "Personal Injury- Product Liability" was ranked 1st a year ago, while it was the 1st 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 2nd a year ago, while it was the 3rd most frequently invoked five years ago.
Ranked 3rd was "Insurance". "Insurance" was ranked 7th a year ago.
Among these top nature of suit categories, the one showing the greatest increase in civil filings — up 51.2 percent — compared to one year ago was "Insurance". This was the same category that had the largest increase — 516.7 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 21.9 percent — was "Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability". This was the same statute that had the largest decrease — 22.6 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 August 2021 was 99.2 per every million persons in the United States. One year ago the relative number of filings was 107.3. 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 Fla, N 6,023.8 11,346 1 1 15 More La, W 423.1 903 2 26 42 More D. C. 354.2 250 3 2 3 More N. J. 226.5 2,012 4 3 18 More N. Y., S 162.5 844 5 4 4 More Delaware 140.7 137 6 7 7 More Fla, S 126.2 944 7 10 5 More Cal, N 104.5 875 8 15 20 More Penn, E 97.7 578 9 16 8 More La, E 95.8 161 10 11 2 More
The Northern District of Florida — with 6,023.8 civil filings as compared with 99.2 civil filings per one million people in the United States — was the most active during August 2021. The Northern District of Florida was ranked 1st a year ago.
The Western District of Louisiana ranked 2nd.
The District of Washington, D.C. now ranks 3rd. The District of Washington, D.C. was ranked 2nd a year ago, while it was ranked 3rd five years ago.
Recent entries to the top 10 list were Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans), Northern District of California (San Francisco), Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and Western District of Louisiana (Shreveport), now ranked 10th, 8th, 9th and 2nd. These districts ranked 11th, 15th, 16th and 26th one year ago and 2nd, 20th, 8th and 42nd five years ago.
The federal judicial district which showed the greatest growth in the rate of civil filings compared to one year ago — 486.4 percent — was Western District of Louisiana. Compared to five years ago, the district with the largest growth — 6340.1 percent — was Northern District of Florida .
In the last year, the judicial District Court recording the largest drop in the rate of civil filings — 26.7 percent — was Washington, D.C.. But over the past five years, Eastern District of Louisiana showed the largest drop — 80.5 percent.
Report Generated: September 15, 2021
