Each year, Chief Justice John Roberts. Jr. issues a report about the state of the federal judiciary. For 2009, Justice Roberts reported a 6% year-to-year decline in filings in the Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals. The federal district courts saw a 3% increase in filings over 2008 filings, up to 276,397 filings in 2009. Particularly relevant to the consumer federal services industry (and this blog), Justice Roberts found that, in 2009:
Filings of cases involving consumer credit, such as those filed under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, increased 53% (up 2,143 cases), fueled in part by the current economic downturn, particularly in the nation’s most populous districts.
Justice Roberts concluded that “[t]he courts are operating soundly, and the nation’s dedicated federal judges are conscientiously discharging their duties.” You can read the entirety of his report here.