Federal Court Cases: Civil Terminations Database, 1970-2004
Federal Court Cases: Civil Terminations Database, 1970-2004
Codebook
year (Statistical Year)
The statistical year used in the federal courts runs from July through June (for example, SY84 covers the period July 1, 1983 through June 30, 1984). Due to reporting time lags, there is often a slight skew to the correspondence between calendar date and statistical year at the borders of the statistical year.
1970 80,436
1971 86,564
1972 95,182
1973 98,260
1974 97,634
1975 104,784
1976 110,176
1977 117,151
1978 125,914
1979 143,324
1980 160,482
1981 177,975
1982 189,473
1983 215,356
1984 243,113
1985 269,848
1986 266,765
1987 238,000
1988 238,753
1989 235,219
1990 213,922
1991 211,713
1992 303,207
1993 227,595
1994 228,361
1995 229,820
1996 250,387
1997 249,641
1998 262,301
1999 272,526
2000 259,637
2001 248,174
2002 259,537
2003 253,015
2004 252,761
circuit (Circuit)
Circuit in which the case was filed. Adjusted for Eleventh Circuit creation.
0 - District of Columbia 112497
1 - First Circuit 259827
2 - Second Circuit 645243
3 - Third Circuit 626418
4 - Fourth Circuit 595752
5 - Fifth Circuit 895634
6 - Sixth Circuit 752220
7 - Seventh Circuit 544620
8 - Eighth Circuit 443868
9 - Ninth Circuit 1027168
10 - Tenth Circuit 355351
11 - Eleventh Circuit (before and after 1982) 758408
-8 = Missing 0
office (Office) The code that designates the office within the district where the case is filed. Must conform with format established in Volume XI, Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures, Appendix A.
- 13
0 75626
1 2224738
2 1882957
3 1215496
4 653648
5 419952
6 260145
7 100167
8 124184
9 58202
A 1422
B 1
C 455
docket (Docket) The number assigned by the Clerks’ office; consists of 2 digit Docket Year (usually calendar year in which the case was filed) and 5 digit sequence number.
jurisd (Jurisdiction) The code which provides the basis for the U.S. district court jurisdiction in the case. This code is used in conjunction with appropriate nature of suit code.
1 - US government plaintiff 1004273
2 - US government defendant 975199
3 - federal question 3352217
4 - diversity of citizenship 1645517
5 - local question 39789
nos (Nature of Suit) A 3 digit statistical code representing the nature of the action filed. 110 INSURANCE
120 MARINE CONTRACT ACTIONS
130 MILLER ACT
140 NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENTS
150 OVERPAYMENTS & ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENTS
151 OVERPAYMENTS UNDER THE MEDICARE ACT
152 RECOVERY OF DEFAULTED STUDENT LOANS
153 RECOVERY OF OVERPAYMENTS OF VET BENEFITS
160 STOCKHOLDER’S SUITS
190 OTHER CONTRACT ACTIONS
195 CONTRACT PRODUCT LIABILITY
210 LAND CONDEMNATION
220 FORECLOSURE
230 RENT, LEASE, EJECTMENT
240 TORTS TO LAND
245 TORT PRODUCT LIABILITY
290 OTHER REAL PROPERTY ACTIONS
310 AIRPLANE PERSONAL INJURY
315 AIRPLANE PRODUCT LIABILITY
320 ASSAULT, LIBEL, AND SLANDER
330 FEDERAL EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY
340 MARINE PERSONAL INJURY
345 MARINE - PRODUCT LIABILITY
350 MOTOR VEHICLE PERSONAL INJURY
355 MOTOR VEHICLE PRODUCT LIABILITY
360 OTHER PERSONAL INJURY
362 MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
365 PERSONAL INJURY -PRODUCT LIABILITY
368 ASBESTOS PERSONAL INJURY - PROD.LIAB.
370 OTHER FRAUD
371 TRUTH IN LENDING
380 OTHER PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGE
385 PROPERTY DAMAGE -PRODUCT LIABILTY
400 STATE RE-APPORTIONMENT
410 ANTITRUST
422 BANKRUPTCY APPEALS RULE 28 USC 158
423 BANKRUPTCY WITHDRAWAL 28 USC 157
430 BANKS AND BANKING
440 OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS
441 CIVIL RIGHTS VOTING
442 CIVIL RIGHTS JOBS
443 CIVIL RIGHTS ACCOMMODATIONS
444 CIVIL RIGHTS WELFARE
450 INTERSTATE COMMERCE
460 DEPORTATION
470 CIVIL (RICO)
510 PRISONER PETITIONS -VACATE SENTENCE
530 PRISONER PETITIONS -HABEAS CORPUS
535 HABEAS CORPUS: DEATH PENALTY
540 PRISONER PETITIONS -MANDAMUS AND OTHER
550 PRISONER -CIVIL RIGHTS
555 PRISONER - PRISON CONDITION
610 AGRICULTURAL ACTS
620 FOOD AND DRUG ACTS
625 DRUG RELATED SEIZURE OF PROPERTY
630 LIQUOR LAWS
640 RAILROAD AND TRUCKS
650 AIRLINE REGULATIONS
660 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY/HEALTH
690 OTHER FORFEITURE AND PENALTY SUITS
710 FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT
720 LABOR/MANAGEMENT RELATIONS ACT
730 LABOR/MANAGEMENT REPORT & DISCLOSURE
740 RAILWAY LABOR ACT
790 OTHER LABOR LITIGATION
791 EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT
810 SELECTIVE SERVICE
820 COPYRIGHT
830 PATENT
840 TRADEMARK
850 SECURITIES, COMMODITIES, EXCHANGE
860 SOCIAL SECURITY
861 MEDICARE
862 BLACK LUNG
863 D.I.W.C./D.I.W.W.
864 S.S.I.D.
865 R.S.I.
870 TAX SUITS
871 IRS 3RD PARTY SUITS 26 USC 7609
875 CUSTOMER CHALLENGE 12 USC 3410
890 OTHER STATUTORY ACTIONS
891 AGRICULTURAL ACTS
892 ECONOMIC STABILIZATION ACT
893 ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
894 ENERGY ALLOCATION ACT
895 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1974
900 APPEAL OF FEE -EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE
910 DOMESTIC RELATIONS
920 INSANITY
930 PROBATE
940 SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE
950 CONSTITUTIONALITY OF STATE STATUTES
990 OTHER
992 LOCAL JURISDICTIONAL APPEAL
999 MISCELLANEOUS
-8 MISSING
source (Source) The source of the case filing. Referred to as origin in some codebooks.
1 Original proceeding 5870338
2 Removed from state court 697445
3 Remanded from appellate court 32524
4 Reinstated or reopened 230655
5 Transferred from another district 108304
6 Multi-district Litigation (Transfer by order of Panel for Multi-district Litigation)
68571
7 Appeal of Magistrate judgment to a district judge (since 1981) 2312
8 2nd reopening (since 1983) 5881
9 3rd reopening (since 1983) 467
10 4th reopening (since 1983) 53
11 5th reopening (since 1983) 7
12 6th reopening (since 1983) 1 -8 Missing or Out of Range
99 Out of universe
classfi (Class Action)
Involves an allegation by the plaintiff that the complaint meets the prerequisites of a "Class Action" as provided in Rule 23 - F.R.Civ.P.
0 No allegation of class action made (Not reliable-not used for all years) 640226
1 Allegation of class action 27587
2 Allegation dismissed (Not reliable-not used for all years) 26
3 Allegation affirmed (Not reliable-not used for all years) 17
99 Out of universe
-8 missing
demand (Monetary Amount Demanded)
The monetary amount sought by plaintiff (in thousands).
Money amounts less than $500 appear as 1. Money amounts over $10,000,000 appear as 9999. Dollar figure is rounded to the nearest thousand. (eg.$1,234.56 would appear as a single digit (1). In the past, courts have not always reported this field in thousands of dollars, therefore data may not be accurate.
county (County of Residence)
The code for the county of residence of the first listed plaintiff. If the US Government is the plaintiff, the county listed is that of the first listed defendant. If a land condemnation case, the code is associated with the tract of land. If the location is within the U.S. but, outside the home state, the code is 88888. If the location is outside the U.S. the code is 99999.
NOTE: For County Codes refer to the manual - "City and Town Locations and County Statistical Codes" or ICPSR Codebooks
termyr (Termination Date: Year)
The year the district court received the final judgment or the order disposing of the case.
termmo (Termination Date: Month)
The month the district court received the final judgment or the order disposing of the case.
termdy (Termination Date: Day)
The day the district court received the final judgment or the order disposing of the case.
disp70 (Disposition of Case 1970-1978)
The method by which the case was disposed by the district court. Only for 1970-1978.
0 transferred to another district 71,224
1 default judgment 5,474
2 consent judgment 6,208
3 dismissed for want of prosecution 1,986
4 dismissed by action of parties 44,055
5 remanded to state court 994
6 judgment for plaintiff 9,889
7 judgment for defendant 27,082
8 judgment for both or other party 81
9 outcome unknown 7
disp79 (Disposition of Case 1979-1986)
The method by which the case was disposed by the district court. Only for 1979-1986.
0 transferred to another district 31,368
1 remanded 53,983
2 dismissed for want of prosecution 57,754
3 dismissed discont settld w/drawn 801,913
4 judgment on default 202,330
5 judgment on consent 105,446
6 judgment on motion before trial 270,982
7 judgment on jury verdict 26,995
8 judgment on directed verdict 4,136
9 judgment on court trial 47,363
10 judgment on other 42,780
11 statistical closing 116
disp87 (Disposition of Case 1987-2004)
The method by which the case was disposed by the district court. Only for 1987-2004.
0 transferred to another district 104,810
1 remanded to state court 141,709
2 dismissed for want of prosecution 146,317
3 dismissed for lack of jurisdiction 286,475
4 judgment on default 280,995
5 judgment on consent 110,066
6 judgment on motion before trial 633,212
7 judgment on jury verdict 61,747
8 judgment on directed verdict 5,735
9 judgment on court trial 46,839
10 multi-district litigation transfer 140,746
11 remanded to us agency 86,209
12 dismissed: voluntarily 414,772
13 dismissed: settled 936,092
14 dismissed: other 755,955
15 judgment on award of arbitrator 5,609
16 judgement on trial de novo after arbtrt 78
17 judgment on other 175,237
18 statistical closing 70,150
19 [maj] appeal: decision affirmed 34,686
20 [maj] appeal: decision reversed 13,863
21 stayed pending bankruptcy 4,432
proced70 (Procedural Progress 1970-1975)
The point to which the case had progressed when it was disposed of.
1. No issue - no action 109594
2. No issue - action 124880
3. Issue, no pretrial - no action 104810
4. Issue, no pretrial - action 88710
5. Pretrial but no trial 79403
6. Terminated during court trial 4663
7. Terminated during jury trial 6143
8. Judgment after court trial 24711
9. Judgment after jury trial 14290
0. Land condemnation cases 5656
proced76 (Procedural Progress 1976-1986)
The point to which the case had progressed when it was disposed of.
1. Before issue joined 576437
2. After motion decided but before issue joined 364795
3. Issue joined, no other court action 283998
4. Issue joined, and after judgment of court on motion 353855 5. Issue joined, and after pretrial conference but before trial 268094 6. During court trial 7846
7. During jury trial 12781
8. After court trial 63991
9. After jury trial 37397 0. Other 29213
proced87 (Procedural Progress 1987-present)
The point to which the case had progressed when it was disposed of.
1. Before issue joined, no court action 468340
2. Before issue joined, order entered 1146166
3. After issue joined, no court action 441269
4. After issue joined, judgment on motion 801397
5. After issue joined, pretrial conference held 415920
6. After issue joined, during court trial 10759
7. After issue joined, during jury trial 17590
8. After issue joined, after court trial 50284
9. After issue joined, after jury trial 61425
10. After issue joined, other 612379
11. Before issue joined, hearing held 23851
12. Before issue joined, motion decided 401752
13. Request for trial de novo after arbitration 4600
-8. Missing 2
noj (Nature of the Judgment)
Cases disposed of by an entry of a final judgment.
0 - no monetary award 1236143
1 - monetary award only 517573
2 - monetary award and other 131621
3 - injunction 25609
4 - forfeiture/foreclosure/condemnation, etc. 166085
5 - costs only (Not included in 1970-1971) 88449
6 - costs and attorney fees (Not included in 1970-1971) 7005
These cases should only be present for disposition involving a judgment.
award (Monetary Judgment Amount Awarded)
Dollar amount received (in thousands). Coded 9999 for amounts greater than $9,999,000.
judgefor (Judgment For)
Cases disposed of by entry of a final judgment in favor of:
1 - plaintiff 922177
2 - defendant 930760
3 - both 58040
4 - unknown 1632659
maginv (Magistrate Involvement)
Level of involvement of the U.S. magistrate.
1. Consent of parties to magistrate judgment with appeal directly to U.S. Court of Appeals 2474
2. Consent of parties to magistrate judgment with appeal to U.S. District Court
908
3. Special master reference 13940
4. All pretrial matters, including dispositive motions 11570 5. Report and recommendation on dispositive motions 25505 6. All pretrial matters, except dispositive motions 10699 7. Full pretrial/settlement conferences 3642
8. Non-dispositive motions 9259
9. No involvement of magistrate 1017768 99. Out of universe
Only used 1981-1985
otherinv (Other involvement)
Involvement in the case of persons other than judge or magistrate.
1. Arbitrator 121
2. Land commissioner 74
3. Special master (other than magistrate) 54
4. Other 4434
5. No involvement other than judge or magistrate 1091079 99. Out of universe Only used 1981-1985
classter (Termination Class Action)
A code that indicates a case involving allegations of class action.
1 – allegation of class action but no result 3750135
2 - denied 2
3 - granted 39446
-8 – missing 11917
A zero or no value appears to be no allegation made 1979-1995. Not collected 1970-1978.
prose (Pro Se)
0 - no Pro Se plaintiffs or defendants 1442686
1 - Pro Se plaintiffs, but no Pro Se defendants 533076
2 - Pro Se defendants, but no Pro Se plaintiffs 42950
3 - both Pro Se plaintiffs & defendants 6953
-8 -missing 282314
Pro Se field is blank in records posted before October 1995.
title (Title)
Title of the code considered in the case.
section (Section)
Section of the code considered in the case.
subsect (Subsection)
Subsection of the code considered in the case.
distnum (District Number)
Recoding of disnum_old variable.
0 - Maine 470 - Ohio - Northern
10 - Massachusetts 480 - Ohio - Southern
20 - New Hampshire 490 - Tennessee - Eastern
30 - Rhode Island 500 - Tennessee - Middle
40 - Puerto Rico 510 - Tennessee - Western
50 - Connecticut 520 - Illinois - Northern
60 - New York - Northern 530 - Illinois - Central
70 - New York - Eastern 540 - Illinois - Southern
80 - New York - Southern 550 - Indiana - Northern
90 - New York - Western 560 - Indiana - Southern
100 - Vermont 570 - Wisconsin - Eastern
110 - Delaware 580 - Wisconsin - Western
120 - New Jersey 600 - Arkansas - Eastern
130 - Pennsylvania - Eastern 610 - Arkansas - Western
140 - Pennsylvania - Middle 620 - Iowa - Northern
150 - Pennsylvania - Western 630 - Iowa - Southern
160 - Maryland 640 - Minnesota
170 - North Carolina - Eastern 650 - Missouri - Eastern
180 - North Carolina - Middle 660 - Missouri - Western
190 - North Carolina - Western 670 - Nebraska
200 - South Carolina 680 - North Dakota
220 - Virginia - Eastern 690 - South Dakota
230 - Virginia - Western 700 - Arizona
240 - West Virginia - Northern 710 - California - Northern
250 - West Virginia - Southern 720 - California - Eastern
260 - Alabama - Northern 730 - California - Central
270 - Alabama - Middle 740 - California - Southern
280 - Alabama - Southern 750 - Hawaii
290 - Florida - Northern 760 - Idaho
300 - Florida - Middle 770 - Montana
310 - Florida - Southern 780 - Nevada
320 - Georgia - Northern 785 - Alaska
330 - Georgia - Middle 790 - Oregon
340 - Georgia - Southern 800 - Washington - Eastern
350 - Louisiana - Eastern 810 - Washington - Western
355 - Louisiana - Middle 820 - Colorado
360 - Louisiana - Western 830 - Kansas
370 - Mississippi - Northern 840 - New Mexico
380 - Mississippi - Southern 850 - Oklahoma - Northern
390 - Texas - Northern 860 - Oklahoma - Eastern
400 - Texas - Eastern 870 - Oklahoma - Western
410 - Texas - Southern 880 - Utah
420 - Texas - Western 890 - Wyoming
430 - Kentucky - Eastern 900 - District of Columbia
440 - Kentucky - Western 910 - Virgin Islands
450 - Michigan - Eastern 930 - Guam
460 - Michigan - Western 940 - Northern Mariana Islands
-8 = Missing
distnum_old (District Number – old version)
Recoding of district variable. All non-numeric values changed to numeric.
All codes are the same as district unless noted below.
00 - Maine 47 - Ohio - Northern
01 - Massachusetts 48 - Ohio - Southern
02 - New Hampshire 49 - Tennessee - Eastern
03 - Rhode Island 50 - Tennessee - Middle
04 - Puerto Rico 51 - Tennessee - Western
05 - Connecticut 52 - Illinois - Northern
06 - New York - Northern 53 - Illinois - Central
07 - New York - Eastern 54 - Illinois - Southern
08 - New York - Southern 55 - Indiana - Northern
09 - New York - Western 56 - Indiana - Southern
10 - Vermont 57 - Wisconsin - Eastern
11 - Delaware 58 - Wisconsin - Western
12 - New Jersey 60 - Arkansas - Eastern
13 - Pennsylvania - Eastern 61 - Arkansas - Western
14 - Pennsylvania - Middle 62 - Iowa - Northern
15 - Pennsylvania - Western 63 - Iowa - Southern
16 - Maryland 64 - Minnesota
17 - North Carolina - Eastern 65 - Missouri - Eastern
18 - North Carolina - Middle 66 - Missouri - Western
19 - North Carolina - Western 67 - Nebraska
20 - South Carolina 68 - North Dakota
22 - Virginia – Eastern 69 - South Dakota
23 - Virginia - Western 7.8 - Alaska
24 - West Virginia - Northern 70 - Arizona
25 - West Virginia - Southern 71 - California - Northern
26 - Alabama - Northern 72 - California - Eastern
27 - Alabama - Middle 73 - California - Central
28 - Alabama - Southern 74 - California - Southern
29 - Florida - Northern 75 - Hawaii
3.1 - Florida - Middle 76 - Idaho
3.2 - Florida - Southern 77 - Montana
3.3 - Georgia - Northern 78 - Nevada
3.4 - Georgia - Middle 79 - Oregon
3.5 - Georgia - Southern 80 - Washington - Eastern
3.6 - Louisiana - Eastern 81 - Washington - Western
3.7 - Louisiana - Middle 82 - Colorado
36 - Louisiana - Western 83 - Kansas
37 - Mississippi - Northern 84 - New Mexico
38 - Mississippi - Southern 85 - Oklahoma - Northern
39 - Texas - Northern 86 - Oklahoma - Eastern
40 - Texas - Eastern 87 - Oklahoma - Western
41 - Texas - Southern 88 - Utah
42 - Texas - Western 89 - Wyoming
43 - Kentucky - Eastern 90 - District of Columbia
44 - Kentucky - Western 91 - Virgin Islands
45 - Michigan - Eastern 93 - Guam
46 - Michigan - Western 94 - Northern Mariana Islands
-8 = Missing
fileday (Filing Day)
The day on which the case was filed in the district court. Corrections made from original data.
filemo (Filing Month)
The month in which the case was filed in the district court.
fileyr (Filing Year)
The year in which the case was filed in the district court.
filedate (Filing Date)
Date the case was filed in the district court (in Date/Month/Year format). Corrections made from original data.
trfiscal (Fiscal Year of Termination)
Fiscal Year in which a case was terminated.
fifiscal (Fiscal Year of Filing)
Fiscal year in which the case was filed.
pilot (Pilot)
Dichotomous variable noting cases involved in 1986 pilot for statistical reporting.
1 Yes 21170
0 No 6995836
state (State)
State case was filed in
1 Alabama
2 Alaska
3 Arizona
4 Arkansas
5 California
6 Colorado
7 Connecticut
8 Delaware
9 District of Columbia
10 Florida
11 Georgia
12 Hawaii
13 Idaho
14 Illinois
15 Indiana
16 Iowa
17 Kansas
18 Kentucky
19 Louisiana
20 Maine
21 Maryland
22 Massachusetts
23 Michigan
24 Minnesota
25 Mississippi
26 Missouri
27 Montana
28 Nebraska
29 Nevada
30 New Hampshire
31 New Jersey
32 New Mexico
33 New York
34 North Carolina
35 North Dakota
36 Ohio
37 Oklahoma
38 Oregon
39 Pennsylvania
40 Rhode Island
41 South Carolina
42 South Dakota
43 Tennessee
44 Texas
45 Utah
46 Vermont
47 Virginia
48 Washington
49 West Virginia
50 Wisconsin
51 Wyoming
52 Territories (PR, VI, CZ, Guam, NMI)
0 Missing
region (Region)
Census region in which case was filed.
1 New England 278845
2 Middle Atlantic 1132546
3 South Atlantic 1290832
4 East North Central 1049085
5 West North Central 414517
6 East South Central 552284
7 West South Central 999925
8 Mountain 351976
9 Pacific 841029
10 Territories (PR, VI, CZ, Guam, NMI) 105957
0 Missing
nojudsum (No Judgment Summary)
Dichotomous variable reporting if case proceeded to final judgment
0 Does not proceed to final judgment 633523
1 Proceeds to final judgment 5467382
-8 Data not collected 916101
Collected since 1979
jforsum (Judgment For Summary)
Reports who the judgment in the case is for.
1 Plantiff or both 979000
2 Defendant 930216
4 Unknown or unapplicable 4191689
-9 Data not collected 916101
Collected since 1979
id (Identification Number)
Unique identifier that combines docket number, district number, and office number in one variable.
docketyr (Docket Year)
Docket year stored numerically.
jurisum (Jurisdiction Summary)
AO-coded jurisdiction summary.
1 Federal defendant or plaintiff 1979472
0 Non-federal parties 5037534
obsnum (Identification Number)
Unique identification number for each case. Starts with 1 in 1970 and goes over 7,000,000 in 2004.
trialsum (Trial Summary)
Indicates whether there was likely a trial or not. Variable calculated from disp and proced variables. Each case was coded as having a trial if there was a judgment for the plaintiff, defendant, or both (from disp variables), or if case was disposed after or during a trial (for proced variables).
0 No Trial
1 Trial
-8 Missing
summary (Summary of Case Outcome)
Summarizes how the outcomes each case. Variable was calculated from the disp variable.
1 Withdrawn/Default (disp70=1,3 disp79=2,3,4 disp87=2,3,4)
2 Trial (disp70=6,7,8 disp79=7,8,9 disp87=7,8,9,16,17,19,20)
3 Settle (disp70=2,4 disp79=5 disp87=5,13)
4 Non Trial (disp79=6,10 disp87=6,15)
5 Other (disp70=0,5 disp79=0,1,11 disp87=0,1,10,11,18,21)
-8 Missing
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