Reference data
Federal court filing statistics: 2026 data for law firms.
A practical, sourced snapshot of federal civil and bankruptcy filings during the 12 months ending March 31, 2026. 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.
2026 filing data
Federal civil filings
Civil filings are reported for U.S. district courts during the 12 months ending March 31, 2026.
339,892
Federal civil cases filed
U.S. district courts recorded 339,892 civil filings during the 12 months ending March 31, 2026, up from 271,802 in the prior reporting year.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table C-2, March 31, 2026163,059
Private federal-question civil cases filed
Private civil cases filed under federal-question jurisdiction reached 163,059 during the same reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table C-2, March 31, 202614,854
Employment civil-rights cases filed
Employment cases within federal civil-rights filings reached 14,854 during the 12 months ending March 31, 2026.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table C-2, March 31, 20264,407
Trademark cases filed
Trademark filings reached 4,407 cases during the reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table C-2, March 31, 20261,417
RICO cases filed
Cases involving the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act reached 1,417 filings during the reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table C-2, March 31, 20262026 filing data
Bankruptcy filings
Bankruptcy figures cover the 12 months ending March 31, 2026, including the territorial courts.
591,850
Bankruptcy petitions filed
Bankruptcy courts received 591,850 cases during the 12 months ending March 31, 2026.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table F-2, March 31, 2026369,702
Chapter 7 filings
Chapter 7 filings reached 369,702 cases during the reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table F-2, March 31, 2026211,700
Chapter 13 filings
Chapter 13 filings reached 211,700 cases during the reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table F-2, March 31, 20269,941
Chapter 11 filings
Chapter 11 filings reached 9,941 cases during the reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table F-2, March 31, 202695.6%
Share of bankruptcy petitions that were nonbusiness
Nonbusiness cases reached 565,890 and represented 95.6% of all bankruptcy cases reported.
Source: U.S. Courts, Table F-2, March 31, 202672,054
Bankruptcy cases filed in Florida
Florida bankruptcy courts recorded 72,054 cases during the reporting period.
Source: U.S. Courts, Report F-5A, March 31, 2026Methodology and sources
How to read this page.
All figures on this page come from the U.S. Courts' Table C-2 for federal civil filings, and the U.S. Courts' Table F-2 for bankruptcy filings. Both cover the 12 months ending March 31, 2026.
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: 2026 Data for Law Firms.” Updated October 14, 2026. https://dreams.marketing/federal-court-filing-statistics