As reported by Law Week Colorado, the 2010 year-end report on the federal judiciary found an overall increase in caseloads in all courts except the Courts of Appeals, which saw a slight decrease from the previous year. Chief Justice Roberts wrote an overview of the issues facing the judiciary and notes a new Strategic Plan to tackle the issues moving forward, which was approved at last year’s Judicial Conference.

The plan identifies seven long-term issues that are critical to the future operation of the federal courts. The Judiciary’s central objective is, of course, to do justice according to law in every case. Accomplishing that objective requires, however, a determined focus on subsidiary issues, including managing the courts’ public resources, maintaining a skilled workforce of judges and support staff, deploying new technologies that enable the courts to do more with less, and developing rules and procedures that provide litigants with reasonable and economical access to the judicial process. It also requires focus on issues that extend beyond the courthouse, such as fostering positive relations with the coordinate branches of government and enhancing the public’s understanding of the role of the courts.

Justice Roberts notes that there are some immediate obstacles to achieving the judiciary’s goals, including budgetary constraints due to the economic downturn and the problem of judicial vacancies in already overworked districts.

The report also found that:

• federal bankruptcy petitions continued to climb at a rate of 14%, the highest of all federal courts filings.
• the U.S. Supreme Court case filings increased 5.4%, and experienced a 7% increase in its forma pauperis docket.
• only the Federal Courts of Appeals experienced a decrease, with 3% less filings in 2010.
• both criminal and civil filings in U.S. District Courts each increased by 2%.

The full report and Justice Roberts’ overview can be found here.