US Chief Justice John Roberts released the 2018 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary on Monday.

The report discussed the importance of the relationship between federal judges and their clerks. It also reported an update on the Federal Judiciary Workplace Conduct Working Group, which was established to investigate inappropriate conduct in the workplace against clerks and other judiciary employees.

The Working Group found that although inappropriate work conduct was not pervasive, it also was more than just isolated incidents. Misconduct was found more likely to be incivility or disrespect instead of overt sexual harassment. Roberts endorsed the recommendations of the Working Group, including revising code of conduct, strengthening and streamlining internal procedures and expanding training programs.

The Committees on Codes of Conduct, Judicial Conduct and Disability and Judicial Resources incorporated changes based on the Working Group recommendations. Roberts has directed the Working Group to continue to monitor the progress of the implementation over the next year. Roberts declared that “[t]he job is not finished until we have done all that we can to ensure that all of our employees are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect.”

Roberts also reported on the workload of the courts. The number of cases filed in the Supreme Court in the 2017 term was about equal to the number of cases filed in the 2016 term. The regional appellate courts, bankruptcy courts and probation offices saw decreases between 2 and 4 percent in the number of cases filed. Civil case filings in federal district courts increased by 6 percent.