Contrary to the common impression, most of the judge's time is not spent in the courtroom with a jury but in the courtroom or chambers hearing arguments on legal points, reviewing briefs and handling administrative details that are necessary to bring about the ultimate disposition of a case. For each hour that the judge and the lawyers in a given case spend in actual trial, many additional hours are required in preparation. It should also be noted that approximately 90% of all cases are disposed of by agreed settlement at the pre-trial stage or after they have been called for trial.

Generally the same situation prevails in the Criminal Division. The cases on the docket of the four judges assigned to the Criminal Division are disposed of much more rapidly than those in the Law Division because of constitutional speedy trial requirements and the lesser amount of pre-trial procedures. From the time of the initial complaint, most felony cases are tried or guilty pleas entered within 120 days.

Public interest and attention are usually focused upon the Law Division and the Criminal Division of the Court because of the importance of the specific issues raised in those cases. However, cases in the other divisions directly affect a far greater number of people in the community. While the Law Division and the Criminal Division are disposing of approximately 6,400 cases in any given year, the Traffic Division will rule on over 59,000 cases, the Small Claims Division will enter ruling in over 6,000 cases and the Family Division over 3,800 cases. In each of these cases the final outcome is just as important to the individuals involved as the outcome in a Law Jury case.

In almost all Law cases and Criminal Felony cases a jury trial is demanded. Even though, as previously noted, a relatively small percentage of these cases are ultimately tried to completion before a jury, those cases require the attendance at the court of over 5,000 jurors each year. A substantial number of those cases are disposed of after the jury has been called to the courtroom and the Judge is ready to proceed with the trial. These cases would not be disposed of unless the jury, the Judge and the other Court staff were present, available and ready to start the trial. So, in a sense, one of the most valuable functions of the jury is merely being present.