Some judges say the changes are necessary for the appeals courts which are second in importance only to the Supreme Court to cope with the growing number of Gases without increasing the time people must wait for rulings.
Critics say people's legal rights are often being damaged.
Instead of reviewing every case before them, as federal law requires, the critics say, the appeals courts are becoming more like the Supreme Court, which has the power to decide which cases it will hear. Complex civil-rights and antitrust cases that appeals judges deem important get the same detailed consideration as always. But some judges and scholars say entire classes of appeals deemed routine, such as inmate petitions and Social Security disability claims, get abbreviated attention as staff lawyers sort out cases to recommend for full hearings. The Country's 12 regional federal circuit courts began introducing shortcuts in the 1980s to help judges cope with the number of cases, which grew to 53,805 last year from 33,360 in 1985. In one controversial change, they created staff lawyer positions with the authority to screen and, some critics say, to effectively decide cases by giving judges summaries of recommended decisions.