It has been nearly a decade since the last comprehensive caseload study in Indiana’s trial courts. In collaboration with the Judicial Administration Committee, the Indiana Supreme Court is gearing up for a four-week caseload time study in 2024. This is a move that underscores the Supreme Court’s commitment to ensuring a fair and efficient judicial system and marks a significant milestone for the state’s judicial community.
The study will involve all judicial officers—full and part-time, state and county-paid—tracking and reporting their time spent on all case-related activities, including trial preparation, hearings, orders, trials, settlements, post-judgment activities, and research.
Since 1996, Indiana has employed a weighted caseload measurement system to establish a uniform method for assessing and comparing trial court caseloads. The WCMS was developed through extensive research and collaboration between the Judicial Administration Committee of the Judicial Conference of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and independent consultants. The core principle of this system is that not all case types are created equal. Each case type requires a different amount of judicial time, from the initial filing to final disposition.