This time, we’re reviewing the lag time data for the second step in the typical non-death penalty criminal case at the Supreme Court: the average days from the order granting review to the order appointing counsel.

In 1990, the average wait was 44 days.  That fell to 35.33 in 1991 but rose to 60.82 the next year.  The wait was almost identical for several years after: 49.95 (1993), 49.16 (1994), 49.05 (1995) and 44.25 (1996).  The average wait was 55.79 days in 1997, 54.24 days in 1998 and 39.08 days in 1999.

The average wait to appointment of counsel trended down between 2000 and 2009: 43.77 (2000), 48.55 (2001), 35.3 (2002), 44.76 (2003), 31.18 (2004), 21.54 (2005), 26.12 (2006), 17.92 (2007), 38.72 (2008) and 25.21 days in 2009.

With only a single-year exception, the average wait for appointed counsel in criminal cases has remained at historically low levels for the past ten years.  From 2010 to 2013, the wait was less than a month: 24.39 (2010), 22.47 (2011), 25.98 (2012), 25.15 (2013).  In 2014, it jumped to 89.65 days.  The wait then settled down to 28.39 in 2015, 40.44 in 2016, 27.21 in 2017, 41.06 in 2018 and 29.73 days so far this year.

Join us back here on Thursday as we review the data for the average time from appointment of counsel to the filing of the opening brief.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Hollywata (no changes).