Some defendants may be denied an adequate determination of legal guilt if this is true. A very thorough aggregate level test of the caseload pressure hypothesis is presented built on previous research. Variation in structural and procedural characteristics across 101 Illinois circuit courts is controlled in this study which supports the idea that felony caseload pressures significantly covary with felony guilty plea rates. The study showed this relationship to be stable from 1973 to 1984. 1 figure, 6 tables, 32 references. (Author abstract modified)