Annual report of state judiciary released

Continuing a trend of recent years, Michigan state courts had an overall clearance rate--used to measure the extent to which courts keep up with their caseloads--of 100 percent, according to the Michigan Supreme Court's annual report released yesterday. Clearance rates are calculated by dividing the number of outgoing cases--cases that the courts have decided or dismissed, or that became inactive for other reasons--by the number of incoming cases, those that were filed or reopened in the same year. Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly said the numbers show "that our Michigan state courts are working hard to ensure that justice is neither delayed nor denied. We have a commitment to resolving cases as quickly as possible without compromising quality." The Michigan Supreme Court, which saw 2,224 new filings in 2009, resolved 2,240 cases, for a clearance rate of 101 percent. The Michigan Court of Appeals, with 6,257 new filings, had 6,810 case dispositions, for a clearance rate of 109 percent. Ninety percent of cases were addressed by the Court of Appeals within 18 months of filing. Circuit courts saw a 99.1 percent clearance rate, with 323,613 new filings or reopened cases and 320,547 case decisions or other resolutions. District courts had a disposition rate of 101.5 percent, with incoming caseload of 3,695,933 and 3,751,128 case dispositions. Probate courts, which can often maintain oversight of some cases for years, had 23,997 new filings in 2009 and 24,261 dispositions, for a disposition rate of 97.2 percent. Charts showing caseload trends and maps of court districts are featured in the report, as are discussions of each court's function. Statistics break down many case filings and dispositions by type. The report also includes highlights of judicial branch activities, such as child support collection; the report notes that Michigan ranked sixth nationally in child support distribution in Fiscal Year 2008, distributing almost $1.5 billion. Other featured initiatives include judicial branch technology, drug and sobriety courts, court collections, oversight of children in foster care, and public outreach projects. Also addressed in the report are budget issues. According to the report, the general fund budget for the judicial branch, excluding judicial salaries, has been reduced by almost 28 percent since FY 2001. The report can be found on the Supreme Court's Web site at: http://www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/statistics/2009/2009execsum.pdf. In addition, detailed statistical supplements are available at: http://www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/reports/summaries.htm#statsupp. Published: Thu, Apr 15, 2010

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