APPENDIX 1 - COURT SUPPORT STAFFING
Appendix 1.1

This appendix discusses court support staffing for probation and 

pretrial offices, courts of appeals, and district and bankruptcy courts. 

It also includes workload used to help determine staffing requirements 

in the courts, and a program statement explaining the purpose of these 

programs.

Probation and Pretrial Services

Table A-1.1 Probation and Pretrial Services Workload Indicators1

2017 Actual 

(% Change 

from Previous 

Yr.) 2

2018 Actual 

(% Change 

from Previous 

Yr.) 2

2019 Projected 

(% Change 

from Previous 

Yr.) 3

188,667 183,587 181,000

-1.3% -2.7% -1.4%

43,998 43,997 43,800

-3.6% 0.0% -0.4%

82,265 90,951 95,500

-6.7% 10.6% 5.0%

60,669 60,498 63,900

1.9% -0.3% 5.6%

Convicted Offenders 

Supervised in the 

Community

Charged Defendants 

Supervised in the 

Community

Investigative Reports 

Completed for Bail 

Determinations

Investigative Reports 

Completed for Sentencing 

Determinations

1For 2017 through 2019, the number of convicted persons and charged defendants supervised 

in the community reflects persons initially received for supervision, under supervision for the 

entire period, or under supervision at the start of the period and closed. Persons with cases 

that fall in more than one of these three categories are counted only once. 2Actual data is based on the 12-month period ending June 30. 3Estimates for year 2019 are based on projections for the 12-month period ending June 30.

Probation and Pretrial Service Officers

Probation officers are federal law enforcement officers that protect 

the community. They work with persons under supervision “postconviction,” after they are tried and found guilty of a federal crime and 

after they are released from prison. Using techniques grounded in 

social science research, otherwise known as evidence-based practices,

they work with persons under supervision to assist them in becoming 

contributing members of the community leading crime-free lives. 

Officers assess each person under supervision’s risk of recidivism;

identify dynamic risk factors that, when addressed, affect the 

individual's likelihood to engage in future criminal activity; and apply 

supervision interventions tailored to reduce risk. These interventions 

include helping persons under supervision to either reestablish, or 

secure for the first time, appropriate housing, employment, and 

legitimate community relationships. Officers also provide cognitive 

skills counseling and leverage programs offered by other federal 

agencies and local social service organizations. Probation officers 

make sure that persons under supervision comply with release 

conditions set by the court and address any issues that affect their 

ability to comply.

The officers monitor persons under supervision through phone calls 

and personal contacts and direct them to services that help persons 

under supervision, including substance abuse or mental health 

treatment, medical care, training, and employment assistance. Without 

officers, the court would not be able to manage the risk that persons 

under supervision pose to individuals or the community by verifying
Appendix 1.

2

their locations and employment, monitoring their associates, restricting 

their travel, and taking actions to make sure they obey the law.

Pretrial service officers work with defendants after they are charged 

with federal crimes and while they are awaiting trial. They help 

ensure that defendants released to the community commit no crimes

while awaiting trial and return to court as required. 

Both probation and pretrial service officers investigate defendants and 

persons under supervision for the court by gathering and verifying 

information about them. Their investigations include interviews with 

defendants and persons under supervision to find out about their 

backgrounds, including family, education, employment, finances, 

physical and mental health, and alcohol or drug abuse. Officers also

perform criminal history record checks and interview other people 

who can provide helpful information, such as family members, 

employers, and law enforcement officials. They also review records, 

such as court, school, military, financial, and employment records.

This information is used to produce a pretrial services report and 

presentence report. The pretrial services report recommends whether 

to release or detain the defendant before trial and addresses whether 

the defendant is likely to stay out of trouble and return to court as 

required. The presentence report recommends sentencing options 

under the federal sentencing guidelines, addresses the offense’s impact 

on the victim, and determines the offender’s ability to pay fines and 

restitution. It also recommends release conditions for the court to 

impose to help structure the person under supervision’s movement and 

behavior in the community. Release conditions are tailored to the 

individual. For example, the court may require that the person under 

supervision get drug testing and treatment, find and keep a job, or be 

placed on location monitoring.
Appendix 1.3

Table A-1.2 Persons Under Supervision by Type of Supervision

Year Probation Supervised Release Parole BOP Custody Total

ACTUAL1 2008 23,028 94,349 2,519 155 120,051

2009 22,926 98,560 2,220 133 123,839

2010 22,707 101,701 2,089 145 126,642

2011 22,604 104,671 1,870 174 129,319

2012 22,419 108,528 1,664 174 132,785

2013 21,114 109,516 1,473 259 132,362

2014 19,903 111,076 1,373 245 132,597

2015 19,191 112,750 1,245 242 133,428

2016 18,275 118,318 1,140 149 137,882

2017 17,139 117,662 1,003 143 135,947

2018 15,740 114,278 920 98 131,036

ESTIMATED2 2019 14,800 110,700 900 100 126,500

1

Actual data for years 2008 through 2018 is based on the 12-month periods ending June 30.

2

Estimates are based on projections for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2019.
Appendix 1.4

Table A-1.3 The Changing Supervision Population - Persons Under Supervision on Probation vs. Persons Under Supervision

Released from Prison

Year Total

ACTUAL2 2008 23,028 19% 97,023 81% 120,051

2009 22,926 19% 100,913 81% 123,839

2010 22,707 18% 103,935 82% 126,642

2011 22,604 17% 106,715 83% 129,319

2012 22,419 17% 110,366 83% 132,785

2013 21,114 16% 111,248 84% 132,362

2014 19,903 15% 112,694 85% 132,597

2015 19,191 14% 114,237 86% 133,428

2016 18,275 13% 119,607 87% 137,882

2017 17,139 13% 118,808 87% 135,947

2018 15,740 12% 115,296 88% 131,036

ESTIMATED3 2019 14,800 12% 111,700 88% 126,500

Offenders on Probation Offenders Released from Prison1

1

Includes terms of supervised release, parole, mandatory release, and military parole.

2

Actual data for years 2008 through 2018 is based on the 12-month periods ending June 30.

3

Estimates are based on projections for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2019.
Appendix 1.5

District Courts

Table A-1.4 Major District Court Workload Indicators1

Filings 2017 Actual 2018 Actual 2019 Estimate

58,121 67,257 73,300

-4.8% 15.7% 9.0%

75,235 84,828 90,700

-5.9% 12.8% 6.9%

271,721 281,202 279,900

-6.4% 3.5% -0.5%

Criminal Case 

Filings

Criminal 

Defendants 

Filed

Civil Case 

Filings

1

For the 12-month periods ending June 30.

District Clerks

The clerks’ offices are responsible for attorney admissions to 

practice in the district, case intake, docketing of pleadings and 

motions, service of process, events scheduling, receipting and 

accounting for fees and fines collected, case tracking, provision 

of court reporting and court interpreting services, alternative 

dispute resolution programs, statistical reporting, training 

attorneys on the case management system (CM/ECF), and jury 

management, all of which are essential elements in processing 

criminal cases and resolving civil cases. Public and private 

sector entities rely on effective case processing by the clerks’ 

offices. 

The proper functioning of the district court clerks’ offices 

enhances the efficiency of the offices of the U.S. Attorney, U.S. 

Marshals Service, Federal Public Defender, and Probation and 

Pretrial Services. Other participants, including litigants, 

attorneys, witnesses, court reporters, court interpreters, expert 

witnesses, the media, and jurors are also impacted by the 

effective operations of the clerks’ offices. To enable these 

court participants to work together effectively, the clerks’ office 

manages courtroom space, automation services, audio and 

video systems, and other administrative functions, as well as 

the support required in the courtroom for the proper functioning 

of proceedings. The judicial system as a whole benefits from 

the professional management services provided by the clerks’ 

offices.

Court Interpreters

The district courts use both staff and contract court interpreters. 

Staff court interpreters serve in district courts where there is a 

substantial need for interpreting services on a daily basis. This 

is particularly true in border courts and courts located in large 

metropolitan areas. Locating, scheduling, and contracting with 

court interpreters is not practical in locations that have frequent 

needs for interpreting services. 

Spanish is the most frequently needed language for interpreting 

events in the courts, comprising 97 percent of all reported 

interpreting events in FY 2018. In FY 2018, there were 
Appendix 1.6

361,773 court events that required the services of an interpreter. 

Of those events, 351,220 were in Spanish. 

Pro Se Law Clerks

The objective of the pro se law clerk program is to receive, 

prepare, and process civil complaints filed against the 

government by prisoners and other individuals without attorney 

representation. Pro se law clerks review complaints for 

procedural adequacy to permit judges to proceed with the 

disposition of the cases. This conserves judicial resources —

without pro se law clerks, district judges and magistrate judges 

would have to perform this work. 

The number of pro se law clerks is determined by a formula 

driven solely by prisoner petition filings. For the 12-month 

period ending June 30, 2018, there were 53,626 petitions filed. 

This represents a 12.1 percent decrease from the 61,031 filings 

in statistical year 2017. This decrease is due primarily to a 

decline in habeas corpus motions and private prisoner condition 

and civil rights petitions filed between 2017 and 2018. 

Death Penalty Law Clerks

Death penalty law clerks serve both as substantive legal 

resources to judges in death penalty habeas corpus matters, and 

as case management monitors, since capital cases are generally 

lengthy and involve numerous issues. The staffing formula for 

these positions provides credit for death penalty cases pending 

in federal court that are not stayed. Courts must have three 

pending death penalty cases to be eligible for a half-time 

position, and nine cases for a full-time position. For the 12-

month period ending June 30, 2018, there were 554 pending, 

unstayed death penalty cases in the district courts.
Appendix 1.7

Percent 

Increase/

Decrease

2008 256,354 -5.8% 70,024 3.5%

2009 257,204 0.3% 75,324 7.6%

2010 285,215 10.9% 78,213 3.8%

2011 289,630 1.5% 78,764 0.7%

2012 286,232 -1.2% 73,455 -6.7%

2013 283,087 -1.1% 69,642 -5.2%

2014 298,713 5.5% 64,027 -8.1%

2015 280,037 -6.3% 60,866 -4.9%

2016 290,430 3.7% 61,021 0.3%

2017 271,721 -6.4% 58,121 -4.8%

2018 281,202 3.5% 67,257 15.7%

ESTIMATED 2 2019 279,900 -0.5% 73,300 9.0%

Year Social Security Diversity Prisoner Filings All Other Total

ACTUAL1 2008 13,329 76,284 55,374 111,367 256,354

2009 13,222 81,188 52,237 110,557 257,204

2010 13,725 104,703 51748 115,039 285,215

2011 15,697 101,508 53,692 118,733 289,630

2012 17,043 94,568 53,606 121,015 286,232

2013 19,121 89,359 55,369 119,238 283,087

2014 19,530 102,568 62,402 114,213 298,713

2015 19,102 86,865 52,844 121,226 280,037

2016 18,407 83,170 70,863 117,990 290,430

2017 18,953 75,449 61,031 116,288 271,721

2018 19,115 89,018 53,626 119,443 281,202

ESTIMATED2 2019 18,200 86,200 54,900 120,600 279,900

Criminal 

Filings

Table A-1.6 Components of Civil Caseload 

Table A-1.5 Civil and Criminal Filings

Year Civil Filings

Percent 

Increase/ 

Decrease

ACTUAL1

1

Actual data for years 2008 through 2018 is based on the 12-month periods ending June 30.

2

Estimates are based on projections for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2019.
Appendix 1.8

Courts of Appeals and Circuit Units

Table A-1.7 Appellate Court Workload1

2017 

Actual

2018 

Actual

2019 

Estimate

-13.4% -5.4% 1.0%

Appeals Filings 52,028 49,220 49,700

1

For the 12-month periods ending June 30.

Circuit Executives

The principal responsibility of the circuit executive’s office is 

to act as the secretariat for the circuit’s judicial council and its 

committees, and in some circuits, for the court of appeals and 

its committees. In this capacity, the circuit executives’ offices 

participate in policy oversight and assist in many areas of 

circuit-wide importance. These include planning for the 

effective and efficient use of space and facilities, information 

technology, financial management and budget decentralization, 

and planning and organizing the circuit’s judicial conference. 

The circuit executives’ offices also provide vital administrative 

and logistical support to the courts of appeals, including 

information technology, procurement, budget management, and 

personnel administration.

Appellate Clerks

The clerks’ offices are the public business offices for the 

appellate courts and provide specific centralized management 

in case-related and logistical areas. Employees in clerks’ 

offices perform essential functions necessary for the operation 

of the courts, such as: 

• recording and maintaining all case filings, including 

public records and information needs;

• providing guidance to lawyers, litigants, and the public; 

• distributing case materials to judges for decisionmaking; and

• providing vital logistical support. 

The case-related workload of the clerks’ offices can fluctuate 

in proportion to changes in case filings. 

Case decisions in appellate courts are made either by panels of 

three judges or, in some instances, by an en banc court, where 

all the judges on the court review the case. Appellate judges 

reside in locations throughout the geographic area of a circuit. 

Appellate clerks’ offices are situated at the headquarters of the 

circuit, providing a central public business office for the 

judges, lawyers, litigants, and the public. Clerks’ offices 

receive case materials for filing, maintain the central files, and 

arrange for judges to convene in panels as necessary for case 

decisions. Inquiries about cases, procedures, and related 

matters are directed to the clerks’ offices. Materials are 

assembled, as appropriate, and dispatched to judges. Lawyers 
Appendix 1.9

are advised of the schedule for decision-making. Decisions are 

made after oral argument hearings or submissions on briefs that 

are scheduled by the clerks’ offices. Decisions are filed in the 

clerks’ offices, which are then responsible for distribution of 

the decisions to the parties and the public, including posting on 

court websites. 

Staff Attorneys

Staff attorneys generally perform legal research on all pro se 

cases, that is, cases where a party serves as his or her own

counsel, most of which are filed by prisoners. In addition, they 

work on substantive and procedural motions, direct criminal 

appeals, death penalty cases, and cases that do not require oral 

argument. Staff attorneys screen cases and research complex 

legal issues for cases that may be scheduled for oral argument. 

Some staff attorneys also assist the court on fully counseled 

cases, providing legal research assistance and presenting 

recommendations to the judges. Staff attorneys also write 

memoranda in cases addressing jurisdictional issues that result 

in disposition of the appeal. By drafting legal research 

memoranda that analyze the case issues and recommend 

appropriate disposition, staff attorneys assist judges in 

disposing of the appellate cases in a timely and efficient 

manner. 

Pro se cases represented 50.1 percent of national appellate 

filings in FY 2018. Staff attorneys preliminarily reviewing

both pro se cases and substantive motions, as well as 

examining cases for jurisdictional defects, materially assists the 

judges and contributes to timely dispositions.

Circuit Mediators

Circuit mediators facilitate the disposition of cases on appeal 

through negotiated settlements, without appellate judicial 

involvement. Circuit mediators are skilled, seasoned lawyers 

who perform sensitive, confidential settlement work. The 

attorneys often are able to streamline or dispose of issues in 

cases not easily settled. Distinct from staff attorneys, circuit 

mediators promote the voluntary settlement or withdrawal of

appeals without court action. The program conserves judicial 

resources and improves appellate case management.

Librarians

The national court library program is a network of 12 circuit 

headquarters libraries and 85 smaller satellite libraries, 

typically located in district courthouses. In support of the 

judiciary’s cost-containment initiatives, 12 library facilities 

have been closed since 2014. Although the library program 

falls administratively under the courts of appeals, court 

librarians serve and support the information and research needs 

of all federal courts and judges: appellate, district, magistrate, 

and bankruptcy. In addition to federal judges, library services 

are provided to tens of thousands of judiciary researchers, 

including law clerks and chambers staff, staff attorneys, 

mediators, clerks of court, probation and pretrial services 

personnel, and public defenders. Many court libraries also 
Appendix 1.10

serve the public, including pro se litigants and bar association 

members.

Librarians deliver comprehensive research, reference, and 

instruction services, and procure and facilitate access to the 

most reliable, authoritative, accurate, and up-to-date research 

resources. Library staff members also manage the acquisition 

and development of chambers’ legal resource collections.

To support the information needs of on-site personnel as well 

as remote users within their broad and geographically dispersed 

areas, court libraries implement digital communication 

technologies, deliver web-based training services, and provide 

comprehensive online access to research collections. 

Librarians design website and internet resources, develop 

online research guides, create current awareness services that 

push content directly to their users, and support the design and 

publication of court materials. Subject specialization and deep 

legal and jurisdictional expertise are required of court 

librarians, as well as the ability to support multidisciplinary 

research in economics, science, medicine, social sciences, 

engineering, technology, and other business- and industryspecific fields.

Bankruptcy Appellate Panel Clerks

The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994 requires that each circuit 

establish a Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) unless the 

Judicial Council of the circuit finds that either there are 

insufficient judicial resources in the circuit, or the 

establishment of a BAP would result in undue delay or 

increased cost to parties in bankruptcy cases. There are 

currently five BAPs nationally. A BAP is composed of 

bankruptcy judges within a circuit who are appointed by the 

circuit’s Judicial Council to decide, with the consent of all 

parties, appeals from bankruptcy court decisions. Even where 

a BAP exists, bankruptcy appeals may be heard by the district 

court, if a party so chooses. 

A BAP requires a minimum of four bankruptcy judges, each 

from a different district, because the legislation prohibits a 

bankruptcy judge from hearing an appeal that originated in the 

district for which he or she was appointed. The BAP clerks’ 

offices have support functions and responsibilities similar to 

the appellate clerks’ offices. 
Appendix 1.11

Bankruptcy Courts

Table A-1.8 Bankruptcy Court Workload1

2017 2018

Actual Actual

796,037 775,578 757,100

-2.8% -2.6% -2.4%

2019 

Estimate

Bankruptcy 

Filings

1

For the 12-month periods ending June 30.

Bankruptcy Clerks

The bankruptcy clerk’s office is responsible for administrative 

activities pertaining to processing bankruptcy case filings, case 

scheduling, receipting and accounting for fees and fines 

collected, case tracking, statistical reporting, and use of the 

case management system (CM/ECF), all of which are essential 

elements in processing bankruptcy cases. The bankruptcy 

court clerks’ offices facilitate processing cases, which helps 

individuals, attorneys, and businesses filing cases nationwide. 

To enable court participants to work together effectively, the 

clerks’ offices manage courtroom space, information 

technology services, audio and video systems, and other 

administrative functions, as well as the support required in the 

courtroom for proceedings. 

The judicial system, and community as a whole, benefit from 

the professional management services provided by the 

bankruptcy clerks’ offices.

Bankruptcy Administrators

In nearly all bankruptcy cases, a case trustee is appointed to 

administer the estate. In most bankruptcy courts, case trustees 

are overseen by the United States Trustee Program, which is a 

component of the Department of Justice. The United States 

Trustee assigns trustees to cases, maintains and appoints the 

panel of trustees, monitors the conduct of parties in cases, 

oversees related administrative functions, and acts to ensure 

compliance with applicable laws and procedures. 

However, two states—Alabama and North Carolina—operate 

under a different structure. In each of the six bankruptcy 

districts within those two states, a bankruptcy administrator 

oversees case administration and performs the bulk of the 

duties required of United States Trustees. Bankruptcy 

administrators are employed and overseen by the judiciary but

have the same authority as a United States Trustee, with a few 

exceptions.
Appendix 1.12

Table A-1.9 Components of Bankruptcy Filings 

ACTUAL1 2008 615,748 7,662 344,421 967,831

2009 907,603 14,525 384,187 1,306,315

2010 1,133,320 15,035 424,242 1,572,597

2011 1,083,671 13,556 432,333 1,529,560

2012 914,015 11,664 385,949 1,311,628

2013 778,845 10,139 348,994 1,137,978

2014 669,976 8829 321,278 1,000,083

2015 568,679 7,112 303,945 879,736

2016 509,769 8,532 300,858 819,159

2017 489,011 7,628 299,398 796,037

2018 479,151 7,686 288,741 775,578

ESTIMATED2 2019 467,500 7,100 282,500 757,100

Chapter 7 Chapter 13 Total Chapters 9, 11, 

12, & 15 Year 

1

Actual data for years 2008 through 2018 is based on the 12-month periods ending June 30.

2 Estimates are based on projections for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2019.