The Seventh Circuit has issued its annual report for 2021, and once again, the trend is down. The number of appeals filed in 2021 was 2,493, a decrease of 5% from 2020. This cannot be attributed to the pandemic or economic forces alone. Examining the bigger picture, the number has steadily declined over 15 years. For example, there were 3,518 appeals filed in 2006, amounting to a drop of over 1,000 appeals over the last 15 years. The reasons for this decline are numerous, but the most obvious is the concomitant drop in district court filings. The 2021 report provided that in the seven district courts encompassed in the Seventh Circuit, the number of civil cases fell 11.4% and 11.6% for criminal cases in 2021. Simply put, less district court cases, less appellate court filings.