Exploring the Work of the California Trial Courts: A 20-Year Retrospective

This report begins to identify and document major factors, both internal and external, that have contributed to caseload and workload fluctuations experienced by the state's trial courts in fiscal years 1980-1981 and 1999-2000. It describes caseload trends and serves as a starting point for future research on factors that likely influence filing and workload changes over time.