How long does a typical federal civil or criminal case take to resolve?
The median time (in months) from case filing to final disposition for federal district court cases. Tracked separately for civil and criminal cases, and further segmented by case type (contract, tort, prisoner petitions, etc.).
Formula
Median Resolution Time = Median(Filing Date → Disposition Date) in monthsJustice delayed is justice denied. Long resolution times increase costs for litigants, harm defendants held on pretrial detention, delay victims' relief, and consume attorney and court resources. Benchmarking against the Civil Justice Reform Act standards (3-year outer limit) is standard practice.
Example Visualization
Line chart of median resolution time by case type over time. District court comparison table sorted by resolution time. Box plot showing distribution from filing to disposition.
Are federal courts keeping up with incoming caseloads, or is the backlog growing?
How many cases are pending in federal courts, and how long have they been waiting?