Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the U.S. federal prison population stood at 143,644 inmates, marking a 2% decrease from 2021, with 78.5% of federal inmates being U.S. citizens
- The U.S. state prison population was 1,035,510 at year-end 2022, down 2% from 2021, with Black adults incarcerated at a rate of 1,096 per 100,000 compared to 214 for White adults
- In 2021, U.S. probation population was 3,498,408 adults, a 0.4% increase from 2020, supervised at a rate of 804 per 100,000 U.S. adults
- Civil trials in U.S. district courts fell to 2,369 in 2022, representing 0.4% of 638,120 civil terminations
- Median time from filing to disposition in U.S. district civil cases was 8.6 months in 2022, with contract cases at 7.2 months
- In state courts, 15,232 civil trials concluded in 2021, down 76% since 1992, comprising 0.6% of dispositions
- There were 1,327,500 active lawyers in the U.S. in 2022, with 1.98 lawyers per 1,000 population
- Women comprised 38.5% of U.S. lawyers in 2022, up from 36.4% in 2019, but only 25% of law firm equity partners
- Median starting salary for new lawyers was $155,000 at large firms in 2023, varying by region from $190,000 in NY to $105,000 in South
- U.S. Supreme Court decided 58 cases in October Term 2022 on merits, with 27-5-26 conservative-liberal split
- Standing was granted in 75% of Supreme Court petitions in OT2022, with merits docket from 7,000 cert petitions
- First Amendment cases comprised 12% of Supreme Court merits docket in OT2022, with 5 religion cases
- ICC indicted 52 individuals for war crimes by 2023, with 10 convictions, mostly African cases
- WTO disputes: 606 cases filed since 1995, with 170 panel reports adopted by 2023
- UN Human Rights Council adopted 85 resolutions in 2022, 30% on country-specific situations
Federal prisons saw a slight decline, while state incarceration disproportionately affects Black individuals.
Civil Litigation
Civil Litigation Interpretation
Constitutional Law
Constitutional Law Interpretation
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice Interpretation
International Law
International Law Interpretation
Legal Profession
Legal Profession Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Legal Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/legal-statistics
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Legal Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/legal-statistics.
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Legal Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/legal-statistics.
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