Research and data

Trial court operations

Data updated Fiscal Year 2023

Overview

Data on the number of filings and dispositions is collected each fiscal year for the California Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and superior courts. Analysis of this data shows how filings and dispositions are changing differently at the statewide and county levels, as well as across different case types.

Filings and dispositions

A filing is the initiation of a legal action with the court through a carefully prescribed legal procedure. A disposition may be described as a final settlement or determination in a case. A final judgment, a dismissal of a case, and the sentencing of a criminal defendant are all examples of dispositions. 

Note that a case filed in one year may be disposed of by the court in a subsequent year.

Case type overview

Although filings and dispositions have gone down overall, this change is not consistent across case types. Looking at the analysis for each case type individually can show us where these numbers are falling and rising. These trends can also help us understand changes in workload, or how California's counties are affected differently.

County overview

Looking at the data by court shows the profile of each county's caseload.