THE REPORT OPENS WITH DEFINITIONS OF TERMS. TABLES AND GRAPHS IN SEPARATE SECTIONS FOR EACH COURT PRESENT STATISTICS ON CASELOAD, DISPOSITION, AVERAGE TIME REQUIRED FOR DISPOSITION, END-OF-THE-YEAR DOCKET STATUS, AND TYPES OF CASES. BREAKDOWNS BY JURISDICTION ARE INCLUDED ALSO, AS ARE BRIEF NARRATIVE SUMMARIES. IN SOME INSTANCES, COMPARATIVE DATA FROM PRIOR YEARS ARE PROVIDED. APPENDED MATERIALS INCLUDE INFORMATION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE STATE BOARD OF LAW EXAMINERS AND THE COMMISSION ON JUDICIAL DISABILITIES, A COMPARISON OF RATES OF FILINGS AND NUMBERS OF JUDGESHIPS FOR 1973-74 AND 1977-78, ROSTERS OF JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMISSIONS AND OTHER JUDICIAL BODIES, AND DATA ON TEMPORARY JUDICIAL ASSIGNMENTS TO CIRCUIT COURTS. DURING THE YEAR, THE COURT OF APPEALS CONSIDERED 187 REGULAR APPEALS AND 491 PETITIONS FOR ISSUANCE OF WRITS OF CERTIORARI. THE COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS CONSIDERED 1,565 REGULAR APPEALS AND 253 APPLICATIONS FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL. FILINGS IN THE CIRCUIT COURTS TOTALED 132,921. CRIMINAL FILINGS IN THE CIRCUIT COURTS DECREASED BY 17.2 PERCENT AND JUVENILE CASES BY 5.7 PERCENT FROM 1976-77 TO 1977-78. THE DISTRICT COURTS PROCESSED 1,182,707 CASES, INCLUDING 683,245 MOTOR VEHICLE CASES, 101,202 CRIMINAL CASES. AND 398,260 CIVIL CASES. SEE NCJ-52318 FOR VOLUME I OF THE ANNUAL REPORT. (LKM)