Using the Guide

 

One of the first changes that users of the 1989 Dictionary will notice is the introduction of several new reporting categories within the trial court Caseload Summary Matrix.  Previously, courts were asked to report aggregate data for begin pending, filed, disposed, and end pending cases, by case type, for both appellate and trial courts.  While the reporting categories for the appellate court caseload summary remain the same, trial courts now are asked to report aggregate data, by case type, for both active and inactive pending cases (at the beginning and end of the reporting period); newly filed, reopened, and reactivated cases; original entry of judgment and reopened dispositions; and cases that are placed on inactive status.  These reporting categories were chosen because they allow for a better understanding of both court workload and caseflow management.

 

The following Caseload Summary reporting category definitions apply to both the appellate and trial court prototypes, with appellate courts needing only to report their total number of begin pending, filed, resolved (or disposed), and end pending cases.

 

Begin pending

§         Active: cases that, at the start of the reporting period, are awaiting disposition.

§         Inactive: cases that, at the start of the reporting period, have been classified by the court as inactive.

Filings

§         New filing: cases that have been filed with the court for the first time.

§         Reopened: cases that had previously reached a final disposition, but have been restored to the court’s pending caseload due to the requirement of additional judicial activity in the case.

§         Reactivated: cases that had previously been placed in inactive pending status, but for which further court proceedings and activities can be resumed so that the case can proceed to disposition (to be used only by those courts that can distinguish active versus inactive pending cases).

Dispositions

§         Entry of Judgment: cases for which an original entry of judgment was filed.

§         Reopened: cases that were disposed of by a modification to, and/or enforcement of, the original judgment of the court.

Placed on inactive status

§         Cases whose status has been administratively changed to inactive because the court will take no further action in the case until an event restores the case to the court’s active pending caseload (to be used only by those courts that can distinguish active versus inactive pending cases).

End pending

§         Active: cases that, at the end of the reporting period, are awaiting disposition.

§         Inactive: cases that, at the end of the reporting period, have been administratively classified as inactive.

 

In an effort to further clarify the new reporting categories, examples are provided that illustrate the distinctions between the categories within each trial court prototype.  These examples are located within each introduction, and the above definitions are reiterated within both the introductions and the Caseload Summary matrix.

 

In addition to defining the reporting categories, case types are also defined.  In the trial court section, there are five general case categories: civil; domestic relations; criminal; juvenile; and traffic, parking, and local ordinance violations.  Within each general case category (e.g., civil), specific case subcategories are identified (e.g., tort), and definitions are given for specific case types (e.g., medical malpractice).  In the appellate court section, there are four general case categories: appeals, petitions for review, death penalty, and other appellate.

 

Combined, these case type categories make up the court’s caseload composition.  Users of the 1989 Dictionary will notice that the caseload composition for each general case category has been expanded and that, in some instances, the caseload composition has actually been restructured to capture caseload data in a more meaningful manner.  In the appellate prototypes, for instance, there is no longer a distinction between mandatory and discretionary jurisdiction.  Instead, the appellate court prototypes are structured so courts can track specific workload issues related to their appeals caseload, petitions for review caseload, death penalty caseload, etc.  In the trial court prototypes, domestic relations has been identified as a general case category separate from the civil prototype, and domestic violence, as a specific case type, has been included in the criminal prototype.

 

Similarly, users will find an expanded and redesigned Manner of Disposition matrix to capture the extent of judicial intervention in case resolutions.  The appellate court matrix distinguishes between manners of resolution (decided, dismissed, denied, etc.), types of court opinions for decided cases (published, memorandum, order, etc.), and the outcomes of decided cases (affirmed, reversed, remanded, etc.).  The trial court matrix contains both trial and non-trial disposition events, distinguishes between jury and bench trials, and includes the previously unreported disposition categories of alternative dispute resolution and deferred adjudication.  As with the Caseload Summary matrix, the Manner of Disposition matrix attempts to capture more detailed information that describes the overall workload of the court.