Last week, we began our analysis of the frequency and length of concurrences since 2000.  This week, we’ll be looking at the Court’s most recent history – 2008-2015.  We’ll begin today with the civil docket.

For the years 2008 through 2011, the most frequent author of concurrences on the Court was Justice Werdegar.  Since that time, Justice Liu has written the most civil concurrences.  For 2008, Justices Kennard, Werdegar and Baxter wrote two civil concurrences each.  For 2009, Justice Werdegar led the Court, writing five civil concurrences.  Justices Kennard and Moreno wrote two and Chief Justice George wrote one.  For 2010, Justices Corrigan and Kennard wrote two concurrences and Justice Werdegar wrote one.  For 2011, Justices Kennard and Werdegar wrote two concurrences, and Justices Chin and Moreno wrote one each.  For 2012, Justice Liu led with three concurrences.  Justice Werdegar wrote two and Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye wrote one.  For 2013, Justice Werdegar wrote two civil concurrences, and one each were filed by the Chief Justice and Justices Corrigan and Liu.  For 2014, Justice Chin wrote three civil concurrences.  Justices Werdegar and Liu wrote two apiece, and Justice Baxter wrote one.  Last year, Justice Liu led with four civil concurrences.  Justice Werdegar wrote three, and Justices Chin and Cuellar wrote one each.

Turning to the average length of civil concurrences, it appears that for the years 2008 through 2011, Justices Werdegar and Kennard wrote the longest concurrences on the Court.  Since that time, the lengthiest concurrences in civil cases have been Justice Liu’s.

For 2008, Justice Kennard averaged five pages per concurrence.  Justice Werdegar averaged 4.5 pages, and Justice Baxter two.  For 2009, Justices Kennard and Moreno led at 6 and 5.5 pages, respectively.  Justice Werdegar averaged 4.6 pages, and Chief Justice George averaged four pages.  For 2010, Justice Corrigan averaged four pages, while Justices Kennard and Werdegar averaged three each.  The following year, Justices Kennard and Werdegar led at 6 and 5 pages, respectively.  Justice Chin averaged three pages and Justice Moreno two.

For 2012, Justice Liu led with an average concurrence of 13.67 pages (the result of one twenty page and one seventeen-page concurrence).  Justice Werdegar averaged seven pages and Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye averaged six.  The following year, the Chief Justice and Justice Werdegar averaged six pages per concurrence, and Justices Corrigan and Liu averaged three.  For 2014, Justice Chin led, averaging 11.33 pages per civil concurrence.  Justice Liu averaged 8.5 pages, Justice Werdegar five and Justice Baxter two.  Last year, Justice Liu led the Court, averaging 9.75 pages per concurrence.  Justice Werdegar averaged six pages, Justice Cuellar wrote a single five-page concurrence and Justice Chin averaged three pages.

Join us back here tomorrow as we turn our attention to the Court’s recent experience with criminal cases.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Brando.N (no changes).