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Yesterday, we showed that between 2000 and 2007, affirmances took somewhat longer in civil cases than reversals did.  Today, we address the Court’s criminal cases for the same years.

We report the data for lag time from grant of review to oral argument in Table 177 below.  As the chart reflects, once again, affirmances took longer than reversals did – in the case of criminal cases, substantially longer.  Our data includes 273 affirmances and 209 reversals.  Affirmances averaged 1,641.99 days from grant of review to oral argument, while reversals averaged only 752.62 days.  That said, the data is widely variable; the standard deviation for affirmances from grant to argument is 1,372.49, while the standard deviation for reversals is 1,010.499.

 

Table 177A

In Table 178 below, we report the data for criminal cases from oral argument to decision.  Once again, affirmances took slightly longer.  Affirmances averaged 72.27 days from argument to decision.  Reversals took 69.67 days.  Not surprisingly, given the ninety-day statutory limit, the standard deviation is not high.  The standard deviation for affirmances is 14.86.  The standard deviation for reversals is 20.11.

Table 178A

Join us back here next Thursday as we look at the Court’s docket between 2008 and 2016.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Nick Ares (no changes).