“能动司法”从1996年在我国本土基层法律实践中由法官提出,到1999年由学者将其与中国的司法改革相联系,从1998年西方“司法能动主义”的理念推介到中国,到2002年有学者挖掘中国传统法律文化中的“能动司法”资源,走过了一条渐进的发展道路。对“能动司法”研究发展轨迹分析发现,“能动司法”研究分为“学术准备期”和“确立发展期”。“学术准备期”可分为“能动司法”的思想萌芽、对“能动司法”的本体认识、对“能动司法”的系统认识、对美国“司法能动主义”的广泛推介、对“能动司法”在中国之现实基础的认识五个阶段。 “Active Judiciary” was proposed by judges in 1996 in our country’s local grassroots legal practice. By 1999, scholars linked it with judicial reform in China. From the idea of ​​Western Judicial Activism in 1998 China, by 2002, some scholars have tapped the resources of “active justice” in the traditional Chinese legal culture and walked through a gradual path of development. Analysis of the trajectory of research on “active justice” found that “active justice” research is divided into “academic preparation period” and “establishment of development period”. “Academic preparation period ” can be divided into “active judicial ” germination, “active judicial ” ontology understanding, “active judicial ” systematic understanding of the United States “judicial activism ”Wide promotion of“ active judicial ”in the realization of China’s five basic stages of the reality.