Tax suits
Federal civil · Tax · 49,662 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
49,662
Cases filed
72%
Ended before a merits judgment
35,747 of 49,662 cases
51%
Plaintiff win
of 13,915 merits judgments
39.9%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed48.6%
- Settled19.4%
- Plaintiff win14.3%
- Defendant win11.2%
- Decided — other1.5%
- Other1.5%
- Remanded1.3%
- Transferred1.2%
- Mixed1.1%
- Affirmed0.1%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, C.D. California6,084 cases · 522 decided44.6%
- District Court, N.D. California1,924 cases · 471 decided35.9%
- District Court, N.D. Texas1,559 cases · 425 decided49.2%
- District Court, D. New Jersey1,468 cases · 530 decided65.1%
- District Court, M.D. Florida1,391 cases · 380 decided66.6%
- District Court, S.D. Texas1,364 cases · 352 decided42%
- District Court, S.D. Florida1,207 cases · 290 decided71%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania1,194 cases · 201 decided70.6%
- District Court, E.D. New York1,167 cases · 193 decided63.7%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan1,156 cases · 531 decided53.5%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois1,133 cases · 406 decided58.1%
- District Court, W.D. Texas1,082 cases · 293 decided47.4%
- District Court, D. Utah1,055 cases · 162 decided63%
- District Court, D. Colorado1,053 cases · 317 decided54.3%
- District Court, D. Maryland1,030 cases · 285 decided55.1%
- District Court, E.D. California989 cases · 270 decided45.2%
- District Court, S.D. New York919 cases · 212 decided40.6%
- District Court, D. Nevada906 cases · 336 decided24.7%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts875 cases · 385 decided53.2%
- District Court, N.D. Ohio859 cases · 274 decided52.6%
- District Court, S.D. Ohio766 cases · 220 decided47.3%
- District Court, D. Arizona754 cases · 300 decided33.3%
- District Court, W.D. Washington722 cases · 272 decided40.1%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia714 cases · 153 decided67.3%
- District Court, D. Minnesota711 cases · 263 decided47.5%
- District Court, S.D. California676 cases · 299 decided46.8%
- District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania643 cases · 274 decided62%
- District Court, M.D. Tennessee612 cases · 61 decided45.9%
- District Court, N.D. Georgia609 cases · 246 decided45.9%
- District Court, D. Oregon588 cases · 228 decided41.7%
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.