help me compliment this student post: There have been a lot of factors that have caused a decline in civil jury trials. Going back to the 1960's and 1970's, two big acts of legislation were created: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Both of these acts were created out of a need for conscious equality in the United States. Prior to these acts being created, much of the civil case docket was encompassed by cases relating to both of these Acts, and by creating and putting something into place, the case load was able to decrease because there was now federal law to back up equality for protected classes, as well as those with disabilities. In addition to this, there has been a natural change in the court system, whereby the role of judges has expanded, allowing them to make more decisions, without requiring a jury trial. Many plaintiffs have also realized that there are other avenues to settlement - arbitration, mediation, etc. With the high cost of trials (lawyers are not cheap!) and the fact that cases can take months, sometimes even years before they are tried, plaintiffs are choosing to settle out of court. One other factor to consider is that both lawyers and judges, without trial experience, are less excited or willing to go to trial, where there will be lots of unknowns, that could cause anxiety. With this new generation not wanting to go to court as often, the judges are continuing to be able to exercise their ability to make decision