It's that time of year when appellate lawyers start to look at the calender and count pending cases on their fingers and toes.

I am no exception.

I was trolling around on Don Cruse's very handy SCOTX Blog doing just that. The Court was famously caught up at the end of last term. But alas, the prospects do not seem so bright this time around.

The Supreme Court of Texas is conferencing every week in June, but it will take a massive spring to get through all the pending work. As of this writing, here is the score card:

• There are 37 argued cases awaiting opinion.

• By comparison, 26 cases have been issued since February 1.

That's a lot of work to get through. The court isn't so much sprinting as sprinting with a full plate.