Reference data
Federal court filing statistics: 2025 data for law firms.
A practical, sourced snapshot of federal civil and bankruptcy filings during the 12 months ending March 31, 2025. Use the section links below to cite a specific figure.
What this covers
Numbers that put legal demand in context.
This page collects filing figures reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. It is a reference point, not a forecast of any firm's case volume. Court filings can move sharply when a single large multidistrict matter enters or leaves the system.
The figures below are useful for writers, legal teams, and law firms that need a clear source for recent federal filing activity. Each statistic links directly to the underlying court report.
2025 filing data
Federal civil filings
Civil filings are reported for U.S. district courts during the 12 months ending March 31, 2025.
271,802
Federal civil cases filed
U.S. district courts recorded 271,802 civil filings during the 12 months ending March 31, 2025, down 21.9% from the prior year. The report attributes much of the decline to fewer large multidistrict litigation filings.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 2025145,536
Federal-question cases filed
Federal-question jurisdiction filings rose 2.2% year over year, reaching 145,536 cases in the same reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 202510,609
Employment civil-rights cases filed
Employment cases within federal civil-rights filings increased 4% to 10,609 during the 12 months ending March 31, 2025.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 20253,656
Trademark cases filed
Trademark filings rose 7% to 3,656 cases during the reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 20251,197
RICO cases filed
Cases involving the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act increased 16% to 1,197 filings.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 20252025 filing data
Bankruptcy filings
Bankruptcy figures cover the 12 months ending March 31, 2025, including the territorial courts.
529,080
Bankruptcy petitions filed
Bankruptcy courts received 529,080 petitions, a 13.1% increase from the prior year. Eighty-six of 90 bankruptcy courts reported higher filings.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 2025320,571
Chapter 7 filings
Chapter 7 filings increased 17.9% to 320,571 petitions during the 12 months ending March 31, 2025.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 2025199,130
Chapter 13 filings
Chapter 13 filings rose 6.2% to 199,130 petitions in the same period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 20258,844
Chapter 11 filings
Chapter 11 filings climbed 10.1% to 8,844 petitions.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 202596%
Share of bankruptcy petitions that were nonbusiness
Nonbusiness petitions reached 505,771 and made up 96% of all bankruptcy petitions reported.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 2025+4,348
Bankruptcy-petition increase in the Middle District of Florida
The Middle District of Florida posted the largest numeric increase in bankruptcy petitions, up 25% from the prior year.
Source: U.S. Courts, Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 2025Methodology and sources
How to read this page.
All figures on this page come from the U.S. Courts' Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 2025. That report compares activity during the 12 months ending March 31, 2025, with the same period a year earlier.
This reference will be reviewed regularly. Figures will be updated when the court system releases a newer annual report, and the stat anchors on this page will remain stable.
Suggested citation
Dreams Marketing. “Federal Court Filing Statistics: 2025 Data for Law Firms.” Updated September 15, 2026. https://dreams.marketing/federal-court-filing-statistics