Number of U.S. Supreme Court cases decided by year

Last updated

This is a list of the number of United States Supreme Court decisions issued by calendar year [a] as published in the official United States Reports . The third column below lists which of the volumes of the Reports include cases for each calendar year.

Contents

Change from taking all cases to only selected cases

Prior to passage of the Judiciary Act of 1925 the Supreme Court reviewed almost all cases sent to it. After 1925, most cases have been subject to being granted a writ of certiorari which the Court can grant or deny without ruling on the merits. This change greatly reduced the Court's workload. [1] [2] In the past decade, approximately 7,000-8,000 new cases are filed in the Supreme Court each year. Plenary review, with oral arguments by attorneys, is granted in about 80 of those cases, and the Court typically disposes of about 100 or more cases without plenary review — fewer than 3% of the total. [3]

Number of U.S. Supreme Court cases decided by calendar year

Number of U.S. Supreme Court Cases Decided by Calendar Year Number of U.S. Supreme Court Cases Decided by Calendar Year.png
Number of U.S. Supreme Court Cases Decided by Calendar Year


YearCases DecidedUnited States Reports Volumes
17914 2
17923 2
17932 2
17941 3
17956 3
179616 3
17978 3
17985 3
17999 3, 4
180010 4
18015 5
18020—
180319 5
180414 6
180524 6, 7
180628 7
180719 8
180832 8
180946 9
181039 10
18110—
181240 11
181346 11
181448 12
181540 13
181643 14
181742 15
181838 16
181933 17
182027 18
182141 19
182231 20
182330 21
182441 22
182528 23, 24
182632 24
182747 25
182855 26
182944 27
183058 28, 29
183142 30
183256 31
183341 32
183462 33
183541 34
183652 35
183720 36
183841 37
183949 38
184043 39
184130 40
184244 41
184331 42
184446 43, 44
184555 44, 45
184642 45, 46
184735 46, 47
184833 47, 48
184943 48, 49
185089 49, 50, 51, 52
185186 51, 52, 53
185297 53, 54, 55, 154
185353 55, 56, 57, 154
185482 56, 57, 58
185569 58, 59
185694 59, 60
185758 60, 61
185875 61, 62, 139
185971 62, 63, 64
1860109 63, 64, 65, 154
186168 65, 66
186274 66, 67, 113
186340 67, 68
186481 68, 69, 154
186561 69, 70, 72, 112, 154
186691 70, 71, 72, 154
1867134 71, 72, 73, 78
186882 73, 113
1869159 74, 75, 77, 78, 154
1870154 76, 77, 79, 81, 154
1871146 77, 78, 79, 81
1872160 79, 80, 81, 83, 154
1873243 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 154
1874189 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 154
1875172 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 154
1876241 91, 92, 93, 94, 154
1877238 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 154
1878222 95, 96, 97, 98, 154
1879201 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 113, 154
1880229 100, 101, 102, 103, 113, 137, 153, 154
1881210 102, 103, 104, 105, 154
1882248 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 154
1883264 106, 107, 108, 109, 110
1884273 109, 110, 111, 112, 118
1885271 112, 113, 114, 115, 116
1886278 116, 117, 118, 119
1887299 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125
1888294 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131
1889249 129, 130, 131, 132, 136
1890280 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 141
1891301 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 190
1892253 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 149
1893274 147, 148, 149, 150
1894261 151, 152, 153, 154, 155
1895272 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 183
1896244 160, 161, 162, 163, 164
1897213 164, 165, 166, 167, 168
1898172 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 179
1899195 172, 173, 174, 175, 176
1900233 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181
1901158 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 190
1902198 183, 184, 185, 186, 187
1903227 187, 188, 189, 190, 191
1904207 192, 193, 194, 195, 196
1905194 196, 197, 198, 199
1906189 200, 201, 202, 203
1907190 204, 205, 206, 207
1908176 207, 208, 209, 210, 211
1909181 211, 212, 213, 214, 215
1910185 215, 216, 217, 218, 219
1911176 219, 220, 221, 222
1912230 222, 223, 224, 225, 226
1913312 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231
1914286 231, 232, 233, 234, 235
1915288 235, 236, 237, 238, 239
1916222 239, 240, 241, 242
1917220 242, 243, 244, 245
1918200 245, 246, 247, 248
1919235 248, 249, 250, 251
1920195 251, 252, 253, 254
1921212 254, 255, 256, 257
1922191 257, 258, 259, 260
1923227 260, 261, 262, 263
1924221 263, 264, 265, 266
1925222 266, 267, 268, 269
1926215 269, 270, 271, 272
1927199 272, 273, 274, 275
1928150 275, 276, 277, 278
1929131 278, 279, 280
1930137 280, 281, 282
1931177 281, 282, 283, 284
1932171 284, 285, 286, 287
1933164 287, 288, 289, 290
1934171 290, 291, 292, 293
1935173 293, 294, 295, 296
1936156 296, 297, 298, 299
1937155 299, 300, 301, 302
1938165 302, 303, 304, 305
1939152 305, 306, 307, 308
1940151 308, 309, 310, 311
1941156 311, 312, 313, 314
1942160 314, 315, 316, 317
1943167 317, 318, 319, 320
1944136 320, 321, 322, 323
1945158 323, 324, 325, 326
1946140 326, 327, 328, 329
1947136 329, 330, 331, 332
1948117 332, 333, 334, 335, 338
1949131 335, 336, 337, 338
195093 338, 339, 340
195199 340, 341, 342
1952107 342, 343, 344
1953106 344, 345, 346
195478 346, 347, 348
195578 348, 349, 350
195697 350, 351, 352
1957183 352, 353, 354, 355
1958261 355, 356, 357, 358
1959252 358, 359, 360, 361
1960238 361, 362, 363, 364
1961271 364, 365, 366, 367, 368
1962248 368, 369, 370, 371
1963377 371, 372, 373, 374, 375
1964325 375, 376, 377, 378, 379
1965279 379, 380, 381, 382
1966299 382, 383, 384, 385
1967370 385, 386, 387, 388, 389
1968361 389, 390, 391, 392, 393
1969323 393, 394, 395, 396
1970248 396, 397, 398, 399, 400
1971182 400, 401, 402, 403, 404
1972188 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409
1973194 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414
1974168 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419
1975163 419, 420, 421, 422, 423
1976202 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429
1977184 429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434
1978185 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 439
1979163 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444
1980178 444, 445, 446, 447, 448, 449
1981165 449, 450, 451, 452, 453, 454
1982182 454, 455, 456, 457, 458, 459
1983181 459, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464
1984186 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469
1985184 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474
1986171 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479
1987108 479, 480, 481, 482, 483, 484
1988143 484, 485, 486, 487, 488
1989154 488, 489, 490, 491, 492, 493
1990144 493, 494, 495, 496, 497, 498
1991136 498, 499, 500, 501, 502
1992118 502, 503, 504, 505, 506
1993123 506, 507, 508, 509, 510
1994101 510, 511, 512, 513
199599 513, 514, 515, 516
199696 516, 517, 518, 519
199799 519, 520, 521, 522
199899 522, 523, 524, 525
199994 525, 526, 527, 528
200084 528, 529, 530, 531
200190 531, 532, 533, 534
200289 534, 535, 536, 537
200384 537, 538, 539, 540
200484 540, 541, 542, 543
200585 543, 544, 545, 546
200681 546, 547, 548, 549
200775 549, 550, 551, 552
2008116 552, 553, 554, 555, 556
200951 555, 556, 557, 558
201081 558, 559, 560, 561, 562
201187 562, 563, 564, 565
201279 565, 566, 567, 568
201382 568, 569, 570, 571
201473 571, 572, 573, 574
201573 574, 575, 576, 577
201681 577, 578, 579, 580
201768 580, 581, 582, 583
201872 583, 584, 585, 586
201973 586, 587, 588, 589
202068 589, 590, 591, 592
202177 592, 593, 594, 595
202247 596, 597
202359 598, 599, 600, 601
202422 [b] 601, 602, 603
Total30,886

Notes

  1. ↑ This is not the same as the Supreme Court's year-long Term which runs from October to the following September.
  2. ↑ Published through June 2024.

See also

Lists of United States Supreme Court cases by volume

Lists of United States Supreme Court cases

References

  1. ↑ Starr, Kenneth W. (2006). "The Supreme Court and Its Shrinking Docket: The Ghost of William Howard Taft". Minnesota Law Review. 32: 1363–1385. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  2. ↑ Menell, Peter S.; Vacca, Ryan G. (2020). "Revisiting and Confronting the Federal Judiciary Capacity 'Crisis': Charting a Path for Federal Judiciary Reform". California Law Review. 108: 789–886. Retrieved September 18, 2021. Provides an extensive history of the growth of the federal judicial system and its caseload.
  3. ↑ "The Supreme Court at Work". Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved September 17, 2021. For more detail see "Chief Justice's Year-End Reports on the Federal Judiciary". Supreme Court of the United States.
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