Federal Judiciary Bracing for Budget Constraints Even as Caseloads Increase

By: Steve Grumm

From the National Law Journal:

The policy-making arm of the federal judiciary on March 13 discussed steps to reduce costs as workload increases and congressional budget cuts loom.

The federal judiciary’s budget this year was funded at the same level as last fiscal year even as case filings increased, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said.

The administrative office reported today that total civil and criminal filings in federal district courts rose 2 percent to more than 367,600. The office reported an 11 percent increase in intellectual property cases and a 15 percent increase in consumer credit filings.