History of the Federal Judiciary

Supreme Court of the United States
Caseload, 1878–2010

October Term	Cases filed¹	Total cases on docket	Cases disposed	Cases remaining
1878	–	1,138	–	–
1879	–	1,206	–	795
1880	417	1,212	369	843
1881	411	1,254	403	851
1882	434	1,275	390	874
1883	439	1,313	450	848
1884	477	1,325	464	855
1885	493	1,348	444	904
1886	499	1,403	455	948
1887	489	1,437	422	1,015
1888	556	1,571	423	1,148
1889	500	1,648	468	1,180
1890	636	1,816	617	1,199
1891	383	1,582	503	1,079
1892	290	1,369	430	941
1893	280	1,214	503	721
1894	341	1,062	415	647
1895	386	1,033	494	539
1896	295	834	447	387
1897	302	689	373	316
1898	523	839	531	308
1899	384	692	375	317
1900	406	723	377	346
1901	386	732	377	355
1902	391	746	427	319
1903	430	749	454	295
1904	403	698	406	292
1905	502	794	477	317
1906	484	801	449	352
1907	480	832	403	429
1908	494	923	437	486
1909	514	1,000	400	600
1910	516	1,116	466	650
1911	532	1,182	502	680
1912	521	1,201	585	616
1913	526	1,142	597	545
1914	530	1,075	539	536
1915	557	1,093	551	542
1916	658	1,200	645	555
1917	590	1,145	626	519
1918	593	1,112	680	432
1919	580	1,019	609	410
1920	565	975	608	367
1921	673	1,040	603	437
1922	720	1,157	765	392
1923	731	1,123	661	462
1924	854	1,316	761	555
1925	754	1,309	858	451
1926	732	1,183	888	295
1927	754	1,044	859	190
1928	778	968	828	143
1929	841	984	794	190
1930	849	1,040	901	139
1931	884	1,023	884	139
1932	898	1,037	910	127
1933	1,005	1,132	1,029	103
1934	937	1,040	931	109
1935	983	1,092	990	102
1936	950	1,052	942	110
1937	980	1,090	1,012	78
1938	942	1,020	923	97
1939	981	1,078	946	132
1940	977	1,109	985	124
1941	1,178	1,302	1,168	134
1942	984	1,118	997	121
1943	997	1,118	962	156
1944	1,237	1,393	1,249	144
1945	1,185	1,329	1,161	168
1946	1,356	1,524	1,366	158
1947	1,312	1,470	1,339	131
1948	1,474	1,605	1,434	171
1949	1,277	1,448	1,308	140
1950	1,195	1,335	1,216	119
1951	1,249	1,368	1,222	146
1952	1,291	1,437	1,286	151
1953	1,312	1,463	1,303	160
1954	1,406	1,566	1,361	205
1955	1,651	1,856	1,637	219
1956	1,833	2,052	1,701	351
1957	1,657	2,008	1,783	225
1958	1,837	2,062	1,781	281
1959	1,897	2,178	1,822	356
1960	1,957	2,313	1,928	385
1961	2,200	2,585	2,157	428
1962	2,396	2,824	2,350	474
1963	2,305	2,779	2,412	367
1964	2,295	2,662	2,180	482
1965	2,802	3,284	2,693	591
1966	2,765	3,356	2,903	453
1967	3,133	3,586	2,973	613
1968	3,305	3,918	3,151	767
1969	3,435	4,202	3,409	793
1970	3,419	4,212	3,422	890^a
1971	3,643	4,533	3,645	891^a
1972	3,749	4,640	3,572	892^a
1973	4,187	5,079	3,876	1,203
1974	3,417	4,620	3,799	822^a
1975	3,939	4,761	3,806	857^a
1976	3,873	4,730	3,918	812
1977	3,890	4,704	3,867	838^a
1978	3,893	4,731	3,939	796^a
1979	3,985	4,781	3,811	970
1980	4,174	5,144	4,255	889
1981	4,422	5,311	4,433	878
1982	4,201	5,079	4,201	878
1983	4,222	5,100	4,140	959^a
1984	4,047	5,006	4,261	745
1985	4,413	5,158	4,275	883
1986	4,240	5,123	4,349	775^a
1987	4,493	5,268	4,387	882^a
1988	4,775	5,657	4,830	828^a
1989	5,918	5,746	4,932	814
1990	5,502	6,516	5,412	904
1991	5,866	6,770	5,828	942
1992	6,303	7,245	6,366	889
1993	6,897	7,786	6,682	1,104
1994	6,996	8,100	7,132	968
1995	6,597	7,565	6,597	968
1996	6,686	7,602	6,691	911
1997	6,781	7,692	6,718	974
1998	7,109	8,083	7,015	1,068
1999	7,337	8,445	7,332	1,113
2000	7,852	8,965	7,713	1,252
2001	7,924	9,176	8,025	1,151
2002	8,255	9,406	8,337	1,068^a
2003	7,814	8,882	7,790	1,092
2004	7,496	8,588	7,501	1,087
2005	8,521	9,608	8,209	1,399
2006	8,857	10,256	8,895	1,361
2007	8,241	9,602	8,374	1,228
2008	7,738	8,966	7,822	1,143
2009	8,159	9,302	8,093	1,209
2010	7,857	9,066	7,827	1,239

a: revised total presented in subsequent year's report.

Notes:
1. While the term begins in October of the year listed, the cases filed include cases docketed after the adjournment of the preceding term.

Sources:
1878–1940: Annual Report of the Attorney General of the United States, text of the report.
1941–2010: Journal of the Supreme Court of the United States, except Cases Filed, 1941–1944: Annual Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table A-1. Cases filed for 1945–1969 have been calculated based on the cases remaining from the previous term and the total number on the docket.