court backlog
Judicial system delays
A court backlog is the accumulation of cases awaiting trial or resolution in a judicial system.
Backlogs develop when new cases enter faster than courts can process them, often due to understaffing, complex litigation, or systemic delays: The pandemic created a massive court backlog that will take years to clear.
Criminal court backlogs can mean defendants wait months or years for trial, sometimes in pretrial detention.
- delayEnforced waiting period
- caseloadProfessional's assigned matters
- docketCourt's case schedule
- pendingAwaiting resolution or decision
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
congestion · judicial · legal system · waiting · trial · pretrial hearing · prosecution · defendants · queue · system · overwhelmed · justice · hearing · scheduling · criminal · civil · appeals · pretrial