U.S. Court of Federal Claims - Judicial Business 2016

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has nationwide jurisdiction over a variety of monetary claims against the federal government, including those involving tax refunds, federal taking of private property for public use, pay and dismissal of federal civilian employees, pay and dismissal of military personnel, land claims brought by Native Americans and/or their tribe(s), contract disputes, bid protests, patents and copyright, congressional reference, and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 791(c), each January the clerk of the court transmits to Congress a statement of all the judgments rendered, which notes the names of the claimants, the amounts, the dates of entry and the nature of the claims, and the disposition for all judgments rendered the previous fiscal year.

Filings in this court increased 24 percent to 1,778. Vaccine compensation cases climbed 39 percent to 1,124 cases. Contract/injunction cases fell 12 percent to 120 cases. Many of the general jurisdiction cases, which rose 4 percent, were cases of increased complexity and national significance. Thirteen percent of cases had multiple plaintiffs, and 10 percent of general jurisdiction cases involved intervening parties.

Cases involving property taken, which had climbed 100 percent in 2014, thereafter have continued to decrease. This year, filings of such cases fell 30 percent from 89 to 62.

Total case terminations increased 11 percent to 1,456. Vaccine compensation case terminations rose 31 percent to 887. Pending cases grew 13 percent to 2,967.

Filings in 2016 were 86 percent higher than in 2012. Case filings under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act soared from 403 petitions in 2012 to 1,124 petitions in 2016 (an increase of 179 percent).

For data on filings in the Court of Federal Claims, see Table G-2A and Table G-2B..