Civil Filings for May 2025
Table 1. Civil Filings
Number Latest Month 26,910 Percent Change from previous month 5.3% Percent Change from 1 year ago 9.3% Percent Change from 5 years ago -41.1% The latest available data from the federal courts show that during May 2025 the government reported 26,910 new civil filings. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is up 5.3% over the previous month when the number of civil filings of this type totaled 25,562.
The comparisons of the number of civil filings are based on case-by-case court records which were compiled and analyzed by TRAC (see Table 1).
When monthly 2025 civil filings of this type are compared with those of the same period in the previous year, their number was up (9.3%). Civil filings for May 2025 are lower than they were for the same period five years ago. Overall, the data show that civil filings of this type are down 41.1% from levels reported in May 2020.
Figure 1. Civil Filings Over the Last Five Years
The long term trend in civil filings for these matters going back five years is shown more clearly in Figure 1. The vertical bars in Figure 1 represent the number of civil filings of this type recorded each month. The superimposed line on the bars plots the six-month moving average so that natural fluctuations are smoothed out. One-year and five-year change comparisons are based upon the moving averages.
Types of filings
Cases were classified by the federal courts into general types. The single largest number of civil filings of these matters during May 2025 was for "Civil Rights", accounting for 17.6% of civil filings.
As shown in Figure 2, additional categories with substantial numbers of civil filings were "Torts - Personal Injury - Product Liability " (16.1%) , "Prisoner Petitions" (15.4%), "Contract" (10.4%), "Torts - Personal Injury - Other" (8.5%).
Jurisdiction
Within limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the federal district courts have jurisdiction to hear cases falling under any one of several categories. The single largest number of civil filings of these matters during May 2025 was under the classification "Federal Question", accounting for 50.5% of civil filings.
As shown in Figure 2, additional categories with substantial numbers of civil filings were "Diversity" (33.9%) , "U.S. Government Defendant" (14.6%), "U.S. Government Plaintiff" (0.8%), "Local Question" (0.0%).
Rankings: Specific Nature of Suits
Court filings are also classified based upon the specific nature of the suit. Table 2 shows the top nature of suit categories recorded in the matters filed during May 2025
Table 2. Specific Nature of Suit Types
Nature of Suit Count Rank 1 yr ago 5 yrs ago Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability 2,710 1 3 2 More Other Civil Rights 2,048 2 1 5 More Civil Rights 1,654 3 2 3 More Personal Injury- Product Liability 1,592 4 13 1 More Other Personal Injury 1,349 5 8 13 More Employment 1,336 6 4 10 More Other Contract 1,313 7 5 6 More Insurance 1,183 8 6 7 More General Prisoner Petitions 1,129 9 9 4 More Prison Condition 932 10 10 8 More
"Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability" was the most frequent recorded nature of suit category. "Health Care / Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability" was ranked 3rd a year ago, while it was the 2nd most frequently invoked five years ago.
Ranked 2nd in frequency was the nature of suit category "Other Civil Rights". "Other Civil Rights" was ranked 1st a year ago, while it was the 5th most frequently invoked five years ago.
Ranked 3rd was "Civil Rights". "Civil Rights" was ranked 2nd a year ago, while it was the 3rd most frequently invoked five years ago.
Among these top nature of suit categories, the one showing the greatest increase in civil filings — up 109.2 percent — compared to one year ago was "Personal Injury- Product Liability". This was the same category that had the largest increase — 97.2 percent — when compared with five years ago.
Again among the top ten nature of suit categories, the one showing the sharpest decline in civil filings compared to one year ago — down 4.0 percent — was "Prison Condition". This was the same statute that had the largest decrease — 95.2 percent — when compared with five years ago.
Top Ranked Judicial Districts
Relative to population, the volume of civil matters of this type filed in federal district courts during May 2025 was 80.4 per every million persons in the United States. One year ago the relative number of filings was 69.2. Understandably, there is great variation in the per capita number of civil filings in each of the nation's ninety-four federal judicial districts.
Table 3. Top Ten Districts (per one million people)
Judicial District Percapita Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago D. C. 450.7 306 1 1 2 More N. J. 300.6 2,793 2 11 5 More S Car 202.8 1,090 3 12 25 More N. Y., S 193.7 1,001 4 4 4 More Ill, N 149.9 1,379 5 6 26 More Delaware 145.4 150 6 7 7 More Fla, N 136.9 271 7 29 1 More Vermont 131.3 85 8 2 83 More Fla, S 124.8 946 9 8 9 More La, E 116.5 191 10 5 6 More
The District of Washington, D.C. — with 450.7 civil filings as compared with 80.4 civil filings per one million people in the United States — was the most active during May 2025. The District of Washington, D.C. was ranked 1st a year ago, while it was ranked 2nd five years ago.
The District of New Jersey ranked 2nd.
The District of South Carolina now ranks 3rd.
Recent entries to the top 10 list were New Jersey, South Carolina and Northern District of Florida (Pensacola), now ranked 2nd, 3rd and 7th. These districts ranked 11th, 12th and 29th one year ago and 5th, 25th and 1st five years ago.
The federal judicial district which showed the greatest growth in the rate of civil filings compared to one year ago — 181.3 percent — was New Jersey. Compared to five years ago, the district with the largest growth — 368.9 percent — was Vermont .
In the last year, the judicial District Court recording the largest drop in the rate of civil filings — 29.8 percent — was Vermont. But over the past five years, Northern District of Florida showed the largest drop — 99.2 percent.
Report Generated: June 18, 2025
