April 2009

Update: Fiscal Year 2009 and 2010 Budgets

The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, signed by the President in March, contained, among other things, a retroactive cost-of-living adjustment for judges, and funding to complete construction on the San Diego U.S. Courthouse annex and to provide for renovations at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, Illinois, and the New Bern U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in New Bern, North Carolina. Provisions also extend temporary judgeships for one year in the Districts of Hawaii and Kansas and the Northern District of Ohio, and increase panel attorney pay rates.

The Table at right shows the Judiciary’s appropriation for FY 2009, and its current request for an 8.7 percent overall increase for FY 2010. Because the FY 2010 budget was transmitted to Congress before the FY 2009 funding levels were known, the FY 2010 request will be revised and most probably reduced in light of the higher FY 2009 enacted level, as well as other updated information.

Where the Money Goes: FY 2009

Of the Judiciary’s total FY 2009 funding, 5 percent funds the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Court of International Trade, the Administrative Office, the Federal Judicial Center, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and the Judiciary Trust Fund. The remaining 95 percent goes directly to the Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services in four accounts: Salaries and Expenses, Defender Services, Court Security, and Fees of Jurors.

The Salaries and Expenses account, which receives 78.2 percent of the funding, covers rent, judges and court personnel salaries and benefits, operating expenses, and information technology, and other expenses. The pie chart shows a breakdown of this account.

Funding for federal public defender and community defender organizations, compensation for private attorneys representing indigent defendants, and fees of persons providing investigative, expert, and other services under the Criminal Justice Act is provided from the Defender Services account. This account receives 13.8 percent of the funding.

The Court Security account provides funds, which are subsequently transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Protective Service, for the procurement, installation, and maintenance of security equipment, and for protective services, including contract security officers for the courts. The account receives 7 percent of the funding.

The Fees for Jurors account, 1 percent of the court’s total funding, pays for juror fees and expenses.

Judiciary Appropriations ($000)