ABSTRACT
Court structures within states and across states and the federal government might be better termed court disorganization than court organization. Courts in each state and the federal courts have their own organizational structure, but there is only the barest commonality. Beyond current structure and vocabulary, there has been substantial interest since the mid-1970s among legislators, governors, some judges and court administrators, and some public administration academics in reducing the number and broadening the jurisdiction of trial courts. The reasons for this interest and the arguments that have slowed or forestalled more consolidations at the trial court level are explored in this chapter. Finally, this chapter offers a brief look at the number of cases filed in state and federal courts and the implications of those numbers. The numbers for state courts suggest another point. Between federal and state courts, federal courts normally are seen as more prestigious, particularly by judges and attorneys.
