Court Statistics Project (CSP)

The CSP has evolved since 1975 by providing more consistent definitions of key terms and parameters for counting. The State Court Model Statistical Dictionary (updated version published in 1989) provided the first set of common terminology, definitions, and usage for reporting appellate and trial court caseloads. Terms for reporting data on case disposition methods were provided in the Dictionary and in other project publications. The classification scheme and associated definitions served as a model framework for developing comparable and useful data. Once a set of recommended terms was adopted, the projects focus shifted to assessing the comparability of caseload data reported by the courts to those terms. It became particularly important to detail the subject matter jurisdiction and methods of counting cases in each state court. Problems related to categorizing and counting cases in the trial and appellate courts were resolved through the development of the 1984 State Trial Court Jurisdiction Guide for Statistical Reporting and the 1984 State Appellate Court Jurisdiction Guide for Statistical Reporting. The State Court Guide to Statistical Reporting (Guide), originally published in 2004, represents the Court Statistics Project's new data reporting format. Building upon the State Court Model Statistical Dictionary, the Guide includes expanded case type classification matrices, definitions for case types that were not included in the original Dictionary, and more detailed manner of disposition categories. The Guide serves as the model reporting framework for developing comparable and useful data.