This fact sheet describe case filings, caseloads, and types of cases filed in Alaska’s trial courts (Superior Court and District Court) during fiscal years (FY) 2005–2012. Data were extracted from Alaska Court System annual statistical reports. The report examines data on case filings, caseloads, and types of cases filed in Superior and District courts.Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of JusticeSuperior Court Filings /
Superior Court Caseloads /
Types of Cases /
District Court Filings /
District Court Caseloads /
Types of Cases /
Not

Fortson, Ryan

Myrstol, Brad A.

English

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Ryan Fortson, Ph.D. J.D., Assistant ProfessorBrad A. Myrstol, Ph.D., AJSAC DirectorThe Alaska  Court  System  (ACS) is unified,  centrally administered,  and funded by  the state. The ACS consists of trial courts (Superior  Courts and District Courts) and appellate  courts (a  Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court).  Both  types of courts hear civil and criminal matters. Trial  courts hear facts in  a case and decide how  Alaska  law  should be applied, while appellate courts review  the legal  decisions of the trial courts. The ACS is divided into four  judicial  districts: The First  Judicial District  encompasses Southeast Alaska – including  Juneau; the Second Judicial District covers the northwest  area  of the state and includes Barrow,  Kotzebue,  and Nome.  The Third Judicial District  takes in  Southcentral Alaska – including Anchorage, and has the highest population.  The Fourth  Judicial  District  comprises Interior  Alaska - including Fairbanks, and the Yukon-Kuskowim Delta.The statistical data  discussed here describe cases filed in  Alaska’s trial courts (Superior Court  and District  Court)  during  2005-2012: Figure 1  shows the number  of case filings per  1,000 Alaska residents in  each  court for  this time period. Overall, for  both  courts,  the rate of filings has remained relatively  flat  when  controlling  for  population. While  District  Court  filings decreased by  about  9% from  2011  to 2012,  it  is too early  to determine if this trend will continue. Alaska Trial CourtCase Filing Statistics, 2005-2012April 2013, AJSAC 13-04FIGURE 1.Number of Alaska Superior Court and District Court Filings per 1,000 Residents, 2005-2012.Trial Court Statistics 2005-2012 | AJSAC Fact Sheet | April 2013 1050.0100.0150.0200.020052006200720082009201020112012Filings per 1,000 residents: Superior CourtFilings per 1,000 residents: District CourtSource: Alaska Court System, Office of the Administrative Director (2006-2013). Alaska Court System Annual Report. Anchorage, AK.Note: The Alaska Court System compiles case filing data by fiscal year (July 1-June 30), not calendar year.2Trial Court Statistics 2005-2012 | AJSAC Fact Sheet | April 2013FIGURE 3.Proportion of Alaska Superior Court Filings Felony, Domestic Relations, Probate, Civil, and Children’s Matters: 2005-2012.0%10%20%30%40%20052006200720082009201020112012% Felony % Domestic Relations% Probate % General Civil% Children’s MattersSource: Alaska Court System, Office of the Administrative Director (2006-2013). Alaska Court System Annual Report. Anchorage, AK.Note: The Alaska Court System compiles case filing data by fiscal year (July 1-June30), not calendar year.Superior  Court  Filings. Alaska  Superior  Courts hear  felony  criminal cases (where the defendant faces more than  a  year  in jail)  and civil  cases. Among the civil  cases Superior  Courts hear  are cases involving  family  law,  probate,  child abuse and neglect  cases,  cases where one side or  the other  has requested an  injunction, and cases where the amount in dispute is $100,000 or more.As of 2012,  in  terms of a) number of authorized Superior  Court  judicial  positions  and b) percentage of the state’s population, the  Third Judicial District has 26  Superior  Court  judges and 6  masters, for  a total of 32  Superior  Court  level authorized judicial positions serving 67% of the state’s population; the Fourth  Judicial District  has 8  judicial positions (all Superior  Court  judges) and 19% of the population; the First Judicial District  has 6  judicial positions (5 judges and 1  master) and 10%  of the population; and the Second Judicial  District has 3  judges and 4% of the population.Superior  Court  Caseloads.  Figure 2  presents the number  of case filings per  judge both  statewide and by  judicial  district.  Between  2005  and 2012, the number  of Superior  Court judicial positions in  the Third Judicial  District increased from  26  to 32  and caseload per  judge declined by  about 4%, from  487.3 per  judicial position in  2005  to 468.3  per judicial position  in  2012.  The First  Judicial District  has experienced a  decline in  case filings per  judicial position  of almost  12% since 2005,  though  this is attributable in  part to the addition  of a  master  in 2009. The Second Judicial District,  which  has consistently  had only  3  Superior  Court  judges and no masters, has,  after  a  steady  decrease in  filings per judicial  position, seen an  increase over  the past  two years from  270.7  in  2010 to 326.0 in  2012.  The Fourth  Judicial District  added a  Superior  Court judge in  2007,  but  then lost  three masters in  2010, resulting  in a  substantial  increase in filings per Year% Change 2005 - 2012Jurisdiction 2005 2012Statewide 453.7 449.0 -1.0%1st Judicial District 420.0 370.8 -11.7%2nd Judicial District 356.7 326.0 -8.6%3rd Judicial District 487.3 468.3 -3.9%4th Judicial District 403.9 476.5 +18.0%FIGURE 2.Superior Court Filings per Authorized Superior Court Judge Position, State of Alaska and Judicial District: 2005-2012.Source: Alaska Court System, Office of the Administrative Director (2006-2013). Alaska Court System Annual Report. Anchorage, AK.Note: The Alaska Court System compiles case filing data by fiscal year (July 1-June30), not calendar year.015030045060020052006200720082009201020112012Filings per authorized judicial position: StatewideFilings per authorized judicial position: 1stFilings per authorized judicial position: 2ndFilings per authorized judicial position: 3rdFilings per authorized judicial position: 4th3judicial  position  that is 18% higher  than  in  2005  and the highest in the state.Types of Cases Looking  more closely  at  the types of cases heard by  superior  court  judges statewide as percentages of the overall  number of cases filed (Figure 3) reveals a substantial increase in the percent  of probate cases filed, which now  constitute 23.0% of cases filed statewide in  Superior  Court  as compared to a  low  of 16.9% in  2007.  The percent of “children’s matters”  (which  includes both Child in Need of Aid and delinquency  cases) has decreased slightly  from  14.0% in  2007  to 12.6% in  2012. Domestic relations (custody  and divorce) cases have increased slightly  as a  percentage of overall caseload over  the same time period, from  22.6% in  2007  to 24.5% in  2012. Felony  criminal cases, on the other hand,  have decreased slightly  from  2007  – down from  30.8%  to 28.5% of the total  Superior  Court caseload.  General civil  cases (personal injury, property,  and debt, etc.)  have also declined – from 13.7% of cases in  2007  (and 15.9% in  2005) down  to 11.4% of cases in 2012.District  Court  Filings. District  Courts in  Alaska handle misdemeanor  criminal cases – cases where the potential  jail  time is less than  one year  – and civil  cases.  On  the civil side,  District  Courts hear small claims cases (cases worth  less than  $10,000), evictions, protective orders,  and cases with  up to $100,000 in  damages.  District  Court  cases can  be heard by  both  District  Court  judges and magistrates. In  2012,  the Third Judicial District  had 34  such authorized judicial positions (16  District  Court Judges and 18 magistrates).   The First  Judicial District had 3  District  Court  judges and 11 magistrates in 2012.  The Second Judicial  District had 4  authorized District Court  judicial  positions, all magistrates.   And the Fourth  Judicial  District  had 17 authorized judicial positions at  the District  Court level – 4 judges and 13 magistrates.District  Court Caseloads. Although  half of the District  Court  level judicial positions in  the state are located in  the Third Judicial  District, this number does not  meet  the needs of the 67% of the state’s population that lives in  this region  of Alaska.  District Court  caseloads have fluctuated somewhat  based on the number  of authorized judicial positions,  but as shown in  Figure 4,  District Court filings in the Third Judicial District  are consistently  close to twice as high  as any  other  judicial  district. In  2012, the Third Judicial District  had 2,745.2  filings per  each of its 34 authorized judicial positions, compared to 2,583.5  in 2005  for  35  authorized judicial positions, an increase of about 6% per authorized judicial position.  The next  closest judicial district  in  terms of filings is the Fourth  Judicial District, which  in  2012 had 1,296.9  filings per  authorized judicial position. This represents an  increase of over 54% from  2005 (841.5  filings per  authorized judicial position),  a change in  large part  attributable to the loss of seven magistrate positions in  2009. Two more magistrates have been added subsequently.  Similarly,  the Second Judicial District  experienced a  doubling  of filings per authorized judicial  position  in 2011  (from  423.1  to 852.3)  when  it  lost four  magistrates that  year. The Trial Court Statistics 2005-2012 | AJSAC Fact Sheet | April 2013Year% Change 2005 - 2012Jurisdiction 2005 2012Statewide 1543.0 1868.9 +21.1%1st Judicial District 847.4 716.8 -15.4%2nd Judicial District 371.7 426.1 +14.6%3rd Judicial District 2583.5 2745.2 +6.3%4th Judicial District 841.5 1296.9 +54.1%FIGURE 4.District Court Filings per Authorized District Court Judge Position, State of Alaska and Judicial District: 2005-2012.Source: Alaska Court System, Office of the Administrative Director (2006-2013). Alaska Court System Annual Report. Anchorage, AK.Note: The Alaska Court System compiles case filing data by fiscal year (July 1 -June30), not calendar year.05001000150020002500300020052006200720082009201020112012Filings per authorized judicial position: StatewideFilings per authorized judicial position: 1stFilings per authorized judicial position: 2ndFilings per authorized judicial position: 3rdFilings per authorized judicial position: 4th4First  Judicial District, which has had a  consistent number of authorized judicial positions at the District  Court level from  2005  to 2012, has seen  its number  of filings per position remain relatively constant,  though  the 716.8  filings per  authorized judicial  position in  2012  was a  low  for  the time period analyzed.Types of Cases. As shown  in  Figure 5, the vast majority  of cases handled by  District  Courts are what are termed “minor  offenses”  – primarily  traffic infractions such  as speeding, other  improper  driving behavior,  and so on, but also including  minor  fish and game violations and illegal possession  of alcohol offenses.   Such  cases comprised 53.8% of the District Court  caseload in  2005  and increased moderately  to 57.5% of District  Court  cases in  2012. Misdemeanor criminal  offenses experienced a  slight  decline from 25.0%  of cases in  2005  to 23.1% of cases in  2012. After  a  brief dip,  the number  of “other civil”  cases (which  includes domestic violence actions,  evictions, and debt  or  contract  disputes)  went from  13.1%  in 2005  to 13.3% in  2012.  The number  of small claims cases as a  percentage of overall  caseload increased slightly from 13.1% in 2005 to 13.3% in 2012.Trial Court Statistics 2005-2012 | AJSAC Fact Sheet | April 2013FIGURE 5.Proportion of Alaska District Court Filings Minor Offenses, Misdemeanors, Small Claims, and Other Civil: 2005-2012.Source: Alaska Court System, Office of the Administrative Director (2006-2013). Alaska Court System Annual Report. Anchorage, AK.Note: The Alaska Court System compiles case filing data by fiscal year (July 1-June30), not calendar year.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%20052006200720082009201020112012% Filings: Minor Offenses% Filings: Misdemeanors% Filings: Small Claims% Filings: Other CivilSummary. Despite occasional claims that  society has become more litigious,  the number  of case filings in  Alaska  Superior  and District  Courts has remained relatively  constant,  both  when  measured against the number  of residents in  the state and the number  of authorized judicial  positions, though  the case filings per  authorized judicial  position fluctuates with  changes in  the number  of positions. In  terms of the types of cases heard, the percentage of probate cases has increased in  the Superior Courts, but  other  types of cases have remained relatively  constant  or  declined slightly.  The percentages of types of cases heard at the District court  level  have not  changed significantly  from  2005 to 2012, though  the Third Judicial District  continues to have a  disproportionately  high  caseload per authorized judicial position.Note: As specified by  AS 22.20.310,  the Administrative Director  of the Alaska  Court  System (ACS) is required to submit an annual report to the Alaska  Legislature that presents comprehensive statistical data on: justices, judges and magistrates, court  administration (including  descriptions of court facilities,  programs and personnel),  court operations,  case filing  and disposition  information, and “other  information and data  relevant to aiding the public and the legislature in  understanding  the organization, administration, caseload,  disposition of cases, and accomplishments of the court system.”The data  analyzed and presented in  this fact  sheet were extracted from  data  tables presented in each  of the ACS’s annual statistical reports that were published for the period FY 2005 - FY 2012.ACS annual  reports for  FY  2007  - FY 2012  are available to the public free of charge on the Alaska Court System  website:  http://courts.alaska.gov/annualrep.htm.  ACS annual reports for  FY 2005  - FY 2006  are available through the Alaska  State Court Law Library at http://courts.alaska.gov/library.htm.Readers should be aware that  occasional changes in the manner  in  which cases are  reported/recorded by the Alaska  Court System  may  account  for  some changes in  case filing  totals over time for  specific courts/jurisdictions. For  purposes of this report, however, such changes to reporting/recording processes are not likely  to substantially  impact the overall case filing/disposition trends presented.5The Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis CenterAboutThe Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) was established by Administrative Order No. 89, signed by Governor William Sheffield on July 2, 1986. Since that time the AJSAC has been housed within the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center. The AJSAC assists Alaska criminal justice agencies, as well as state and local governments and officials, with the development, implementation, and evaluation of criminal justice programs and policies through the collection, analysis, and reporting of crime and justice statistics.Since 1972, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and its predecessor agency, the National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service, has provided support to state and territorial governments to establish and operate Statistical Analysis Centers (SACs) to collect, analyze, and report statistics on crime and justice to federal, state, and local levels of government, and to share state-level information nationally. There are currently 53 SACs located in the United States and its Territories. The AJSAC is a member of the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), a national nonprofit organization comprised of SAC directors, researchers, and practitioners dedicated to policy-oriented research and analysis.Contact InformationLocationThe Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) is housed in the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center, which is located on the second floor of the UAA/APU Consortium Library, Suite 213.Mailing AddressAlaska Justice Statistical Analysis CenterUniversity of Alaska Anchorage3211 Providence Drive, LIB 213Anchorage, Alaska 99508Phone/EmailBrad A. Myrstol, Ph.D.AJSAC Director(907) 786-1837bmyrstol@uaa.alaska.eduOn The WebTo learn more about the AJSAC research, please visit our website at: http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/ajsac/	  UAA is an EEO/AA employer and educational institution.Trial Court Statistics 2005-2012 | AJSAC Fact Sheet | April 2013

Alaska Trial Court Case Filing Statistics, 2005–2012

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Alaska Trial Court Case Filing Statistics, 2005–2012

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