Annual Caseflow Assessment

Following the adoption of trial court case time standards in 2000 by the Maryland Judicial Council, annual assessments have occurred since 2001 to measure actual case processing performance against the standards among a sample of cases in each jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of Maryland and the Appellate Court of Maryland adopted case time standards in 2013, and the first analyses of case processing performance in the appellate courts were conducted in 2014.

Research and Analysis is the lead partner in the Maryland Judiciary Caseflow Assessment. Other key partners include Judicial Information Systems (JIS) and subject-matter experts in the District Court and the circuit courts.

The Caseflow Assessment is a key component of a yearlong case processing management and improvement cycle. Vital to the usefulness and success of the Caseflow Assessment is the continuous involvement of key court personnel, including (but not limited to) judges, clerks of court, administrative clerks, and court administrators. Through data quality review and analysis, courts identify successes and areas for improvement in their case time standards and develop plans to improve case processing performance and management. Case processing performance in relation to the time standards is reported by Research and Analysis at statewide meetings of judicial leadership.