Court clogged overall---massive backlog.

The nation’s courts are facing overwhelming case backlogs because of the Covid-19 pandemic and it could take years for the legal system to dig out.

Tens of thousands of legal cases ranging from minor thefts to civil disputes to murder are stuck in limbo in state courts around the country, a situation that has left some defendants waiting in jail and strained prosecutors’ and defense attorneys’ ability to do their jobs.

Large cities face some of the steepest challenges. Places like New York, Chicago and San Francisco handle large volumes of cases each year and have seen rates of some violent crimes soar. They have also been home to stringent public health measures that limited court operations.

Many courts had to shut down in-person proceedings for weeks or months at a time over the last couple of years, most recently when the Omicron variant swept through the country. Even when courthouses are open, they can host fewer trials due to social distancing requirements.

San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju has petitioned a California appeals court to address the backlog of trials that has built up since the beginning of the pandemic. According to his office, as of mid-January there were some 250 San Francisco defendants waiting in jail beyond their legally guaranteed deadlines for a speedy trial.

“Those rights don’t mean anything if you don’t have a court where we can actually exercise those constitutional protections,” Mr. Raju said.

A spokesman for the San Francisco Superior Court said, “The court continues its commitment to justice by processing all cases as expeditiously as possible under the difficult circumstances presented by the pandemic.”

Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez said staffing shortages have proven a huge barrier to clearing his office’s 16,000 pending cases, with burned-out attorneys being lured to the private sector by law firms whose case loads have also swelled and are able to pay their lawyers more.

Mr. Martinez said he lost more than 60 attorneys during the prior fiscal year, or 35% of his staff. That means the remaining lawyers are juggling even larger caseloads, often with less experience.