Appellate CourTools

The NCSC is developing a balanced set of performance measures for appellate courts. Drawing on the knowledge of appellate court clerks and justices, the Appellate CourTools are a feasible and balanced set of measures designed to capture key appellate court outcomes. 

Supplemental Survey of Civil Appeals, 2005

This project is the first to examine civil appeals from a nationwide sample.  The data cover civil appeals from final judgments or verdicts from 2005 across 156 counties and 160 courts.  Funded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the project’s data and codebooks will be released for public access in 2011.

Appellate Court Statistical Reporting

The Court Statistics Project, working with the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks, designed a national reporting framework for appellate court caseload statistics, incorporated as a section of the State Court Guide to Statistical Reporting (v. 1.3). The new reporting framework facilitates meaningful comparison among appellate courts in terms of caseloads and manner of disposition.

Related publications of interest:
Caseload Highlights, March 2007: How often are trials reversed or affirmed?
Caseload Highlights, July 2007: What type of trial errors are associated with appellate reversal rates?

Appellate Court Functional Standards

The NCSC's technology staff, working collaboratively with appellate court staff, publish a set of functional standards designed to assist appellate courts with specifying technical requirements for appellate case management software systems.

Criminal Appeals

This project is the first to examine criminal appeals from all state appellate courts nationwide.   The data will include court process and court organization data as well as case-level information from a sample of ~5,000 criminal appeals disposed in 2010.  The case-level data will enable an analysis of timeliness through case milestones, what legal issues are raised and addressed on appeal, and reversal rates.  Funded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the project’s data and codebooks are expected to be released for public access in 2012.

PAST PROJECTS:

Conduct of Survey of Employee Engagement for the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, 2010

Workload Assessment for Judges and Staff for Oregon Court of Appeals (SJI Grant), 2010

Conduct of Survey of Employee Engagement for the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, 2009

Develop a Court Performance Measurement System for the Appellate Courts for the Supreme Court of Arizona, 2009

Appellate Workflow Study for the Iowa Supreme Court, 2008

Case Management Study for the Appellate Division First Department for the New York State Supreme Court, 2008

Organizational and Operational Assessment of the Clerk’s Office for the Massachusetts Appeals Court, 2008

Analysis of the Proposed Revision to the Arkansas Appellate Court Rules (Technical Assistance) 2007

Assessment of Court Technology in the Appellate Courts for the Indiana Supreme Court, 2007

Case Processing Study of the Appellate Court for the Minnesota State Court Administrator

Assessment of Clerk’s Office for Alaska Supreme Court and Appellate Court, 2006

Arkansas Court of Appeals Management Review of Court Clerk’s Office, 2005