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Deschutes County judges report improved caseflow but urge further process changes and a national review
Summary
Bench leadership said time‑to‑disposition rates improved but remain below state goals; judges said trials have increased and the court will contract with the National Center for State Courts to audit business processes and recommend efficiencies, and the court plans to expand mediation and a dedicated family‑law focus.
Presiding judges and court administrators reported improvements in several court performance metrics but said higher case volumes and growing trial counts still strain resources.
The bench said the statewide time‑to‑disposition goal is 98 percent; locally the court reached about 88.2 percent (up from 85 percent). Judges reported year‑over‑year increases in filings for felonies, misdemeanors and domestic relations cases and higher trial counts: a roughly 50 percent increase in felony jury trials and more than a 100 percent increase in misdemeanor jury trials year‑to‑date versus the prior year, with jury trials rising from 22 to 35.
To identify operational improvements, judges said the court will contract with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) to conduct a business process review focused in part on family law ("cradle‑to‑grave" processes), calendaring and use of judicial and staff resources. The court expects stakeholder interviews and an on‑site review and said a final report may be available in September–October 2026.
Court leaders also described steps to expand mediation resources and create a fuller mediator panel to handle family‑law issues and reduce judge time on cases that could be resolved outside the courtroom. Court staff reported they identified roughly 300 matters in the first six months of the year that could have been referred to mediation and that eight additional mediators had applied for the new panel; the court expects the full panel to be in place within one to two months.
Speakers emphasized procedural changes already in use to reduce wasted courtroom time, including pretrial checklists that staff will verify at multiple stages so matters are ready when scheduled, and rotations of calendars to move matters efficiently to trial buckets when necessary. A bench spokesperson said the court wants to "right‑size every case" and make sure litigants receive appropriate forums for resolution.
No formal funding changes or legislative outcomes were decided during the meeting; judges recommended monitoring the upcoming legislative session for bills or appropriations that could affect public defense and court resources.
