Weighted caseload: a critical element of modern court administration

Neither the Magic Bullet Nor the Big Bad Wolf: A Systematic Review of Frontline Judges’ Attitudes and Coping Regarding Managerialization

“…From this point of view, performance, productivity, and time management are also indicators of the quality of justice (Rothmayr Allison, 2013; Vauchez, 2008). For example, proponents of judiciary management in the US highlight that the courts collecting and monitoring performance indicators (e.g., the settlement time of cases) are more able to improve their efficiency, meet deadlines and deal with caseloads (Kleiman et al, 2019). Higher support for NPM can be observed among the heads of court, whose managerial responsibilities are also more important (Commaille & Hurel, 2011; d’Hervé, 2015), perhaps because these responsibilities attract candidates who are more supportive of managerial evolutions.…”

“…As such, the managerialization of justice, which has been presented as a response to the growing caseload (Kleiman et al, 2019), also conveys three types of pressures that may be distinguished based on the reviewed articles. First, frontline judges are prompted to reduce treatment times (Mouhanna, 2015; Mouhanna & Bastard, 2011) through quick decision-making (Beyens & Scheirs, 2010).…”

“…While time management can shorten delays and absorb backlog (Kleiman et al, 2019), it also involves multiple impacts on the work of judges. For example, in Belgian criminal justice, judges no longer have the time to gather and process the required information about the defendant during court hearings (e.g., social reports of judicial assistants, which provide valuable background information on the credibility and motivation of defendants) (Beyens & Scheirs, 2010).…”