The past year was one of profound economic uncertainty; the new Presidential administration introduced unprecedented changes in the administrative state. Tariffs signaled a new era of trade policy, and regulatory and judicial shakeups changed the economic landscape for many.
Was the chaos of 2025 reflected in courts? Docket Alarm data reveals that in 2025, federal civil litigation increased by about 50,000 cases compared to 2024, an increase of 17 percent.
2024
2025
June saw the most cases filed, where February saw the least. November saw about 20 more cases filed, thanks to having two more calendar days.
As has been in the case in recent years, large multidistrict products liability cases can drive substantial shifts in civil litigation data.
In 2025, the top party by volume of civil litigation remains the United States; however, companies like Johnson & Johnson, Dynax, Chemguard, and Arkema are all involved in over 10,000 cases. Johnson & Johnson’s involvement extends to multidistrict cases involving talcum powder litigation (as well as the opioid crisis), while the other companies are involved in “In Re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation.” The complainants broadly allege that fire-fighting chemicals led to groundwater contamination and subsequent injury.
Another indicator of increased litigation is the volume of lawsuits filed against Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security. In her official capacity, she is involved in 10,281 civil lawsuits, most of which pertain to immigration. This represents a significant increase over litigation against her predecessor, Alejandro Mayorkas, in 2024. While the Secretary’s role tends to draw lawsuits, Mayorkas faced 5,508 such suits in 2024. The near-doubling of litigation against the Secretary is just one indicator of the changing immigration policies of the new administration.
Geographically, New Jersey’s statewide federal district topped the list, driven again by multidistrict litigation against companies based in that state. South Carolina is also an outlier for similar reasons. Other top districts are among the most populous in the nation, like the Central District of California.
Despite the upheaval in the administrative state, fewer cases were filed under the Administrativei Procedures Act in 2025 in comparison to 2024 – 1,561 against 1,481 in 2025. This change could be attributed to the Raimondo Supreme Court decision, which ended the era of deference to administrative agencies under Chevron.