Subject and court · Supreme court · France
Social welfare at the Conseil d'État
In 2025, the Conseil d'État issued 264 decisions on social welfare (21% fewer than in 2024), that is 4% of its caseload. 72% of the decisions with a stated outcome are dismissals, against 45% before the administrative courts of appeal. The median time is 7 months, against 16 months before the administrative courts of appeal.
- Decisions in 2025264−21% over one year
- Share of caseload4%against 1% before the administrative courts of appeal
- Dismissal rate72%against 45% before the administrative courts of appeal
- Median time7 monthsagainst 16 months before the administrative courts of appeal
Activity year by year
On social welfare, the number of decisions of the Conseil d'État went from 281 in 2022 to 264 in 2025, with a maximum of 333 in 2024. From 2023 (304) to 2025 (264), that is a decrease of 13%, against an increase of 3% before the administrative courts of appeal.
Its share of the caseload of the Conseil d'État went from 3% in 2022 to 4% in 2025.
The dismissal rate is 72% in 2025, against 75% in 2022; the median time is 7 months in 2025, against 6 months in 2022.
| Year | Decisions | Change | Share of caseload | Dismissal rate | Median time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 281 | – | 3% | 75% | 6 months |
| 2023 | 304 | +8% | 4% | 76% | 5 months |
| 2024 | 333 | +10% | 5% | 78% | 6 months |
| 2025 | 264 | −21% | 4% | 72% | 7 months |
Series start in 2022, the first full year in which the decisions of the Conseil d'État were published. Share of caseload: share of the subject among all the decisions of the court, computed from 200 decisions a year. Rate and time not computed below 200 decisions in the year.
See also Conseil d'État: all subjects Social welfare in France
Time to judgment
In 2025, the median time from filing to judgment is 7 months for cases on social welfare decided at the Conseil d'État: a quarter are decided in less than 4 months, a quarter wait more than 13 months. This median was 6 months in 2024.
The median time of the Conseil d'État (7 months) is shorter than that of the administrative courts of appeal (16 months). All subjects together, the median time of the Conseil d'État is also 7 months.
The median time is calculated on 203 judgments and rulings; 61 other decisions of the year are orders, which count in the volumes but not in the times.
- A quarter of cases decided inless than 4 monthsfirst quartile
- Median time7 monthsagainst 16 months before the administrative courts of appeal
- A quarter of cases wait more than13 monthsthird quartile
- Decisions counted203out of 264 decisions in 2025
| Duration | Conseil d'État | Administrative courts of appeal |
|---|---|---|
| < 3 months | 23% | 1% |
| 3-6 months | 13% | 5% |
| 6-12 months | 35% | 19% |
| 1-2 years | 25% | 43% |
| 2-3 years | 3% | 22% |
| > 3 years | 1% | 11% |
Judgments and rulings only, excluding orders; time counted from the filing of the application to the decision. Not computed below 200 decisions in the year.
See also Conseil d'État: all subjects Social welfare in France
Outcome of the cases
Among the 249 decisions of 2025 on social welfare with a stated outcome, 72% are dismissals, 23% annul the contested act or grant the claim, and 2% are withdrawals or “no need to rule” decisions, which end the case without a ruling on the merits. On this subject, before the administrative courts of appeal, these shares are 45%, 40% and 12%. 15 other decisions of the year (interim rulings, outcome not stated or classified apart) are left out of the calculation.
The dismissal rate of the Conseil d'État is 27 points higher than that of the same subject before the administrative courts of appeal. Compared with 2024, the dismissal rate on this subject is down 6 points.
- Conseil d'État
- Administrative courts of appeal
- Dismissed
- Annulled or granted
- No need to rule
- Withdrawn
- Referred or transferred
- Suspension
| Outcome | Decisions 2025 | Share | Share: Administrative courts of appeal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dismissed | 179 | 72% | 45% |
| Annulled or granted | 57 | 23% | 40% |
| No need to rule | 6 | 2% | 0.3% |
| Withdrawn | 0 | 0% | 12% |
| Referred or transferred | 5 | 2% | 3% |
| Suspension | 2 | 1% | 0% |
Decisions with a stated and classified outcome, excluding interim decisions (expert report, investigation).
See also Conseil d'État: all subjects Social welfare in France
Same subject before the courts of appeal
The 9 administrative courts of appeal issued 403 decisions on social welfare in 2025 between them, against 264 for the Conseil d'État.
The share of this subject in the caseload ranges from 1% to 2% depending on the courts; it is 4% for the Conseil d'État.
- Cour administrative d'appel de Paris
- Cour administrative d'appel de Lyon
- Cour administrative d'appel de Marseille
- Cour administrative d'appel de Douai
- Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes
- Cour administrative d'appel de Bordeaux
- Cour administrative d'appel de Versailles
- Cour administrative d'appel de Toulouse
- Cour administrative d'appel de Nancy
| Court | Decisions 2025 | Share of caseload | Dismissal rate | Median time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cour administrative d'appel de Paris | 97 | 2% | – | – |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Lyon | 64 | 2% | – | – |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Marseille | 54 | 2% | – | – |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Douai | 39 | 2% | – | – |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes | 35 | 1% | – | – |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Bordeaux | 34 | 1% | – | – |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Versailles | 31 | 1% | – | – |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Toulouse | 29 | 1% | – | – |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Nancy | 20 | 1% | – | – |
Share of caseload: share of the subject among all the decisions of the court. Dismissal rate not computed below 200 decisions on the subject; median time: judgments and rulings only, excluding orders, not computed below 200 judgments.
See also Social welfare in France Conseil d'État: all subjects
The other subjects of the court
With 264 decisions, or 4% of the total of the Conseil d'État, this subject comes behind employment law (291) and ahead of environment and agriculture (262).
| Subject | Decisions 2025 | Share of caseload | Dismissal rate | Median time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax | 756 | 10% | 72% | 8 months |
| Immigration | 479 | 6% | 82% | 6 months |
| Civil service | 473 | 6% | 75% | 7 months |
| Planning and building permits | 461 | 6% | 82% | 7 months |
| Public health | 383 | 5% | 68% | 7 months |
| Employment law | 291 | 4% | 83% | 7 months |
| Social welfare | 264 | 4% | 72% | 7 months |
| Environment and agriculture | 262 | 3% | 80% | 10 months |
| Local authorities and public property | 193 | 3% | – | – |
| Policing | 104 | 1% | – | – |
| Driving licences | 97 | 1% | – | – |
| Public procurement | 63 | 1% | – | – |
| Housing | 60 | 1% | – | – |
| Education | 53 | 1% | – | – |
| Elections | 40 | 1% | – | – |
| Other subjects | 3,526 | 47% | 90% | 7 months |
Subject determined from the legal texts cited in each decision; “other subjects” groups decisions without a characteristic text. Detailed pages exist from 50 decisions on the subject.
See also Conseil d'État: all subjects France
Understanding these figures
What these figures count
Of the 7,505 decisions of the Conseil d'État in 2025, 264 fall under social welfare (4%), based on the legal texts they cite; 3,526 (47%) fall under no identified subject and appear under “Other subjects”.
Frequently asked questions
How many decisions on social welfare did the Conseil d'État issue in 2025?
The Conseil d'État issued 264 decisions on social welfare in 2025 (21% fewer than in 2024), that is 4% of its 7,505 decisions. Since 2022 the total is 1,182 decisions.
What is the median time to judgment on social welfare at the Conseil d'État?
In 2025, the median time from filing to decision is 7 months for cases on social welfare: a quarter are decided in less than 4 months, a quarter wait more than 13 months. On this subject it is 16 months before the administrative courts of appeal.
What share of the decisions on social welfare at the Conseil d'État are dismissals?
In 2025, 72% of the decisions on social welfare of the Conseil d'État with a stated outcome were dismissals, against 45% before the administrative courts of appeal. The calculation covers 249 of the 264 decisions of the year.
How many decisions on social welfare did the administrative courts of appeal issue?
In 2025, the administrative courts of appeal of Paris, Lyon and Marseille issued 97, 64 and 54 respectively. The others issued fewer.