Prisoner petitions - mandamus and other
Federal civil · Prisoner Petitions · 35,689 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
35,689
Cases filed
80.4%
Ended before a merits judgment
28,704 of 35,689 cases
9.3%
Plaintiff win
of 6,985 merits judgments
80.7%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed68.5%
- Defendant win15.8%
- Settled4.9%
- Transferred3.8%
- Other2.2%
- Plaintiff win1.8%
- Decided — other1.8%
- Remanded0.8%
- Affirmed0.2%
- Mixed0.1%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, D. Maryland3,151 cases · 163 decided14.1%
- District Court, S.D. California2,439 cases · 1,240 decided10%
- District Court, D. Oregon2,419 cases · 540 decided30.6%
- District Court, E.D. New York2,337 cases · 257 decided8.6%
- District Court, N.D. Texas2,111 cases · 116 decided1.7%
- District Court, M.D. Florida1,544 cases · 400 decided1.5%
- District Court, S.D. New York1,447 cases · 87 decided4.6%
- District Court, N.D. Georgia1,290 cases · 653 decided1.1%
- District Court, E.D. North Carolina1,167 cases · 451 decided41.5%
- District Court, E.D. Arkansas977 cases · 159 decided—
- District Court, S.D. Florida962 cases · 120 decided5.8%
- District Court, District of Columbia947 cases · 145 decided4.1%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia831 cases · 24 decided—
- District Court, N.D. California791 cases · 98 decided4.1%
- District Court, D. South Carolina660 cases · 18 decided—
- District Court, D. Arizona589 cases · 346 decided2.9%
- District Court, W.D. Missouri584 cases · 93 decided4.3%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois558 cases · 92 decided14.1%
- District Court, D. New Jersey493 cases · 97 decided5.2%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania486 cases · 3 decided—
- District Court, D. Kansas446 cases · 266 decided0.8%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts407 cases · 62 decided4.8%
- District Court, C.D. California390 cases · 45 decided8.9%
- District Court, M.D. Alabama370 cases · 16 decided—
- District Court, E.D. Texas367 cases · 2 decided—
- District Court, S.D. Texas365 cases · 32 decided3.1%
- District Court, D. Nevada342 cases · 44 decided9.1%
- District Court, W.D. Texas317 cases · 36 decided—
- District Court, E.D. Michigan303 cases · 77 decided1.3%
- District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania294 cases · 70 decided4.3%
Source: FJC Integrated Database (public domain), via CourtListener — federal civil cases filed and terminated, 1988–present. Figures are descriptive statistics about how cases of a given type have closed in a given court. They describe the historical record — not a prediction or assessment of any specific case. Not legal advice.