Number of Civil Trials Rapidly Declining in California: Injustice, Progress, or a Statistical Anomaly?
The Daily Journal (subscription required) states that civil trials in California dropped by 28% during the fiscal year of 2006–07. According to the same article, the reason most often cited by lawyers, judges, and academics is the cost of litigation and trial.
I suppose rising litigation costs could account for a slow decline in the number of civil trials over the course of a decade, but I find it unlikely that such a steep drop in one fiscal year can be solely attributed to the cost of litigation and trial. Maybe it was just a strange year.
Also, I’m not sure how one can draw any conclusions looking at the number of civil trials in a vacuum.
