The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse, home of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)
A slowdown in trials and other proceedings last year appears to have affected federal appellate activity, though court administrators say judicial caseload data should be taken with a grain of salt.
Statistics from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts show nine of the 12 circuit courts saw a decrease in appeals filed from April 1, 2020, to the end of this March over the year prior. When compared to the same time period five years ago, there were substantially fewer appeals filed in every circuit during the pandemic.
