The workload is only getting bigger for the California Superior Courts according to the Judicial Council’s “2015 Court Statistic Report (CSR)”, especially for certain types of cases. While felony cases increased by 4 percent, mental health filings increased by 9 percent.
So how exactly does this impact the courts? According to Justice Douglas Miller, Chair of the Judicial Council’s Executive and Planning Committee, the information provided by the CSR assists in determining how to best allocate resources and the most recent results indicate more staff time will be needed to process complex cases.
The following is breakdown of 2014 cases:
- Civil
Unlimited (greater than $25,000) – 193,190
Limited (less than $25,000) – 486,597
Small claims – 155,428
- Criminal
Felony – 272,610
Misdemeanor – 915,568
Infraction – 4,907,906
- Family and Juvenile
Marital – 138,968
Other family law – 242,518
Delinquency – 45,824
Dependency – 46,889
- Other case types:
Civil and criminal appeals – 4,317
Criminal habeas corpus – 7,410
Mental health – 27,377
Probate – 44,298
For more information visit the California Courts website.