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Fact check: Do Minnesota courts face rising caseloads?

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June 26, 2017
By Sara Reynolds

In testimony before a joint committee of the state legislature, Minnesota’s Chief Justice Lorie Gildea urged legislators to fully fund the court system’s budget request. "If our courts don’t have enough judges and qualified staff, our rising caseloads will delay access to justice for citizens and businesses all around Minnesota," she said.[1]

Do Minnesota courts face rising caseloads?

The total number of cases filed in Minnesota's court system decreased 9 percent between calendar years 2012 and 2016 (from 1,417,258 to 1,294,573). In the same period, the number of judges, across all courts, rose from 315 to 317 while the budget increased 15 percent.[2][3][4][5]

According to the Minnesota Judicial Council, the state’s “judge need” for the District Courts totaled 315 this year compared to 314.6 in 2013, while the actual number of District Court judges increased from 289 to 291.[6][7][8] The judicial branch requested an overall increase in funding of 7.9 percent for FY 2018 and FY 2019.[9]

Background

Minnesota's judicial system is divided into three court levels: the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and 10 District Courts.[3] State law mandates that there be one chief judge and six to eight associate judges on the Supreme Court.[10] There are currently seven judges, including the chief judge.[3] The legislature determines the number of judges for the Court of Appeals, based on the average number of cases filed during the two previous years. State law mandates that the Court of Appeals shall have "one judge for every 100 cases in that average."[11] The court has had 19 members since 2008.[3] The amount of District Court judges is determined by state law.[12] There were 291 District Court judges in 2016.[3]

Chief Justice Gildea testified in April before a House-Senate conference committee on SF 803, a judiciary and public safety appropriations bill.[13] SF 803 would have provided $345.4 million for the court system in FY 2018 and $348.5 million in FY 2019. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton vetoed parts of SF 803 in May on the grounds that it provided inadequate funding for the judicial system and public safety departments and agencies.[14][15]

The Minnesota judicial branch had requested a funding increase of 7.9 percent ($51.4 million) over a proposed base of $371 million in FY 2018 and $370.2 million in FY 2019.[16][9][17][18] Most of the increase, some $42 million, was proposed to address what court officials called "workforce challenges," including a 3.5 percent annual pay increase for judges, increased health insurance premiums, and increased public pension contributions.[9]

The budget approved by the legislature and signed by the governor on May 30 funds the court system at $354.3 million in FY 2018 and $365 million in FY 2019, including $1.7 million for two new District Court judges.[19]

Case filings

In 2016, the Minnesota judicial branch reported 1,417,258 cases filed in the state, 9 percent less than in 2012. The number of cases filed per judge also decreased 9 percent across all courts, from 4,499 cases filed per judge in 2012 to 4,084 in 2016.[20][3][4] See the table at the bottom of this section for more details.

Beau Berentson, director of communications and public affairs for the Minnesota judicial branch, told Ballotpedia that total case filings have decreased in recent years because of a decline in minor criminal cases, such as parking tickets and traffic violations, but that this "decline has very little impact on the work of judges and court staff."[8]

Minor criminal cases declined 8 percent between 2012 and 2016. Juvenile case filings declined the most, by 20 percent. Major criminal case filings, on the other hand, increased the most, by 13 percent.[3][4]






Minnesota Judicial Branch
Judges Cases Filed Cases filed per judge
2012 2016 Percent difference 2012 2016 Percent difference 2012 2016 Percent difference
District Courts 289 291 1% 1,414,911 1,292,494 -9% 4,896 4,442 -9%
Court of Appeals 19 19 0% 2,212 1,962 -11% 116 103 -11%
Supreme Court 7 7 0% 135 117 -13% 19 17 -13%
Total 315 317 1% 1,417,258 1,294,573 -9% 4,499 4,084 -9%

Source: Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Report to the Community: The 2016 Annual Report of the Minnesota Judicial Branch," accessed May 29, 2017 and Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Report to the Community: The 2012 Annual Report of the Minnesota Judicial Branch," accessed May 29, 2017

Budget

The judicial branch budget increased 15 percent from FY 2012 to FY 2016. District courts received 85 percent of the funding, the Supreme Court received 11 percent, and the Court of Appeals received 4 percent.[5][4]


Budget, Minnesota judicial branch
FY 2012 FY 2016 Percent difference
District Courts $235.2 million $271.9 million 16%
Court of Appeals $10.2 million $11.7 million 15%
Supreme Court $30.6 million $34.3 million 12%
Total budget $276.0 million $317.9 million 15%

Sources: Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Report to the Community: The 2015 Annual Report of the Minnesota Judicial Branch," accessed June 23, 2017 and Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Report to the Community: The 2012 Annual Report of the Minnesota Judicial Branch," accessed May 29, 2017
Note: Numbers may not add up due to rounding.


Judicial weighted caseload formula

Filed cases vary in the amount of time they take to close. The Minnesota Judicial Council employs a weighted formula to compensate for those differences when calculating “judge need” for the District Court.[21]

The formula for assessing "judge need" is based on rolling figures over a three-year period, including:

  • the average amount of time required for a judge to resolve a case (by type of case);
  • the number of cases filed each year;
  • and the amount of time in a given year that judges have available for case-related work.[21][8]

According to the Minnesota Judicial Council, the "judge need" increased from 314.6 in 2013 to 315 in 2017. (The council does not have data prior to the third quarter of 2013.) The difference between “judge need” and the number of actual District Court judges ranged from 20 to 26 in this period.[8]


Statewide judge need for Minnesota District Courts
Judge need (three-year rolling average) Actual District Court judgeships Difference
2013, Q3 314.6 289 26
2014, Q2 311.6 289 23
2015, Q2 309.2 289 20
2016, Q2 312.4 289 23
2017, Q1 315.0 291 24

Source: Sara Reynolds, "Email communication with Beau Berentson, director of communications and public affairs, Minnesota Judicial Branch," June 2, 2017
Note: Numbers may not add up due to rounding.


Conclusion

Minnesota’s Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, speaking before a joint committee of the state legislature, said a rising caseload is putting an increasing squeeze on the judicial system, increasing the need for higher funding.[1]

The total number of cases filed in Minnesota's court system decreased 9 percent, from 1,417,258 in 2012 to 1,294,573 in 2016. In the same period, the number of judges increased from 315 to 317. The budget increased by 15 percent from $276 million to $317.9 million.[3][5][4]

Based on the state's formula for determining “judge need,” fewer District Court judges were needed between 2013 and 2015, and increased by 0.4 in 2017 compared to 2013.[8]

See also

Sources and Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Minnesota’s judges say they need more money. Will they get it?" April 20, 2017
  2. ↑ Minnesota measures its budget in fiscal years (July 1 to June 30) and case filings in calendar years (January 1 to December 31). Sara Reynolds, "Phone communication with Beau Berentson, director of communications and public affairs, Minnesota Judicial Branch," June 20, 2017
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Report to the Community: The 2016 Annual Report of the Minnesota Judicial Branch," accessed May 29, 2017
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Report to the Community: The 2012 Annual Report of the Minnesota Judicial Branch," accessed May 29, 2017
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Report to the Community: The 2015 Annual Report of the Minnesota Judicial Branch," accessed June 23, 2017
  6. ↑ The Minnesota Judicial Council is the administrative policy-making authority for the Minnesota judicial branch. Minnesota Judicial Branch, "About the Courts," accessed June 23, 2017
  7. ↑ The Minnesota Judicial Council employs a weighted formula to compensate for those differences when calculating caseloads and "judge need." National Center for State Courts, "Minnesota Judicial Workload Assessment: Final Report," July 2010
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Sara Reynolds, "Email communication with Beau Berentson, director of communications and public affairs, Minnesota Judicial Branch," June 2, 2017
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Minnesota Management and Budget, "Minnesota Court of Appeals Base Budget," accessed June 16, 2017
  10. ↑ Minnesota Legislature, "Minnesota Constitution: Article VI, Section 5," accessed June 12, 2017
  11. ↑ Minnesota Legislature, "Chapter 501 — H.F.No. 1727," accessed June 13, 2017
  12. ↑ Minnesota Legislature, "2016 Minnesota Statutes: 2.722 Judicial Districts." accessed June 23, 2017
  13. ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Chief Justice Gildea Testifies On The Importance Of Justice System Funding Before Legislative Committee," April 20, 2017
  14. ↑ Minnesota House of Representatives, "Information for S. F. No. 803," accessed June 1, 2017
  15. ↑ Minnesota Senate, "Journal of the Senate," accessed June 1, 2017
  16. ↑ An agency's base budget is derived from appropriation amounts from the previous fiscal years and includes estimates for upcoming fiscal years. The Minnesota judicial branch submitted a base budget in the fall of 2016 to be included in the governor's budget recommendation, released in January 2017. See Minnesota, "Preparing Base Budget Information in the Budget Planning and Analysis System (BPAS)," accessed June 16, 2017 and Minnesota Management and Budget, "Minnesota's Budget Process," accessed June 16, 2017
  17. ↑ Minnesota Management and Budget, "Minnesota Supreme Court Base Budget," accessed June 16, 2017
  18. ↑ Minnesota Management and Budget, "Minnesota District Court Base Budget," accessed June 16, 2017
  19. ↑ Minnesota House of Representatives, "Bill Summary: HF 470," May 22, 2017
  20. ↑ The actual number of cases filed per judge varies among District Court, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court judges.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 National Center for State Courts, "Minnesota Judicial Workload Assessment: Final Report," July 2010
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