A quick guide to the fields the JPML publishes — MDL number, transferee district and judge, pending actions, and historical totals.
MDL number
Every centralized proceeding gets a sequential MDL number (for example, MDL No. 2738). Higher numbers are generally newer.
Transferee district and judge
This is the single federal district court and judge assigned to manage the coordinated proceedings — for instance, the District of New Jersey or the Northern District of California.
Actions pending vs. total (historical)
“Actions now pending” is the number of individual lawsuits currently active in the MDL. “Total actions (historical)” counts every case that has ever been part of it, including those already resolved or remanded.
A large gap between the two — many historical actions but few pending — usually signals a mature docket that is winding down.
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