Pierce County Felony Case Delays: A Growing Backlog and a Failing System

Why Case Delay Matters

Justice delayed is justice denied.

Effective management of the Prosecutor’s Office is essential to justice, public safety, and responsible government. Right now, that management is failing. Fewer felony cases are being filed than just a few years ago, yet more cases remain unresolved and take longer to resolve. This is not a routine administrative shortcoming; it is a systemic failure with serious consequences. As delays mount, evidence weakens, victims and defendants wait longer for resolution, and taxpayers are forced to absorb higher costs for jail housing, medical care, and legal representation.

·       Felony case filings in Pierce County Superior Court fell by nearly 25% from 2019 to 2025.

·       Despite fewer filings, average pending felony cases rose by more than 17% over the same period.

·       That widening gap points to a justice system under strain—one that costs more, delays resolution, weakens evidence, and erodes public confidence.

Felony Case Filings Have Declined

The chart below shows the decline in annual felony case filings by the Prosecutor in Pierce County Superior Court from 2013 to 2025.

Source: Pierce County

The courts were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, after Governor Inslee declared an emergency in March of that year. But comparing the last non-pandemic year, 2019 (4,934), with 2025 (3,727), filings fell by nearly 25%. Pending cases, however, did not fall. They rose instead.

Pending Cases Continue to Rise

The next chart shows the rise in average pending felony cases per year in Pierce County Superior Court from 2013 to 2025.

Source: Pierce County

Comparing the last non-pandemic year, 2019 (1,589), with 2025 (1,835), average pending cases rose by more than 17%.

The Growing Gap Signals System Strain

If pending cases had declined at the same rate as case filings, there would be approximately 1,200 cases pending. Instead, there are more than 600 additional pending cases beyond that level. That gap is not a technicality; it is a warning sign of system failure. It drives up the cost of operating the jail and raises spending on lawyers and other legal professionals, consuming taxpayer money that should not be wasted on preventable delay.

Consequences for Cost, Evidence, and Public Confidence

Most importantly, this is a failure of justice, not just administration. A congested system takes longer to resolve cases even though fewer cases are being filed. That delay has real consequences: evidence weakens, witnesses’ memories fade, witnesses may become unavailable, and outcomes become less reliable. The result is a justice system that costs more, performs worse, and commands less public confidence. Crime victims, those accused of crimes, and the broader community all pay the price for that failure.