Fourth Circuit still the fastest in the nation

From the Charlotte Observer:

The Richmond-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which serves the Carolinas and three other states, disposes of cases more quickly than any other circuit in the nation despite its four vacancies. During the 2007-08 court year, it did so by relying on visiting circuit and district judges on 76 percent of the panels that heard oral arguments.
But the vacancies come at another cost – the 4th Circuit also is the least likely court to hear an appeal in person and to issue a detailed opinion, said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.