This Chart shows the increase in the number of appeals made each year to the U.S. Supreme Court from 1960 forward. Despite the dramatic increase in the number of appeals, the Supreme Court actually hears only about 100 cases a year. Unlike lower courts which lack its discretion, the Supreme Court refuses to hear virtually all the cases submitted to it. The X-axis denotes the year and the Y-axis depicts the total number of cases each year. The chart demonstrates that the number of appeals to the Supreme Court has consistently increased throughout the years, from fewer than 2000 cases filed in 1960 to more than 9000 cases filed in 2001.