Use of Courtrooms in U.S. District Courts. A Report to the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management

摘要

At the request of the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management, the Federal Judicial Center conducted a study of the use of courtrooms in the U.S. district courts. The committee's request for the study was made in response to a November 2005 congressional subcommittee request for an empirical study of the use of federal courtrooms. In designing the study, we were guided by two core questions: (1) How much of the time are the courtrooms actually in use and (2) How much time is scheduled for the courtrooms. To answer these questions, we designed a comprehensive study that collected data in twenty-three randomly selected districts and three case study districts. These districts included ninety-one courthouses and 602 courtrooms. From January 15 to July 15, 2007, we collected data in each district for sixty-three federal workdays. For each courtroom in these districts, we recorded the precise time used for all events that occurred in the courtroom, the type of event that was taking place, and the types of users involved in the event. We also recorded the scheduled time for courtroom events and tracked the rescheduling and cancellation of each event.