In Profile: The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

Statutory Authority. 28 U.S.C. § 601-612. Congress established the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in 1939 to provide administrative support to federal courts.

Supervision. The Director of the Administrative Office carries out statutory responsibilities and other duties under the supervision and direction of the principal policy-making body of the Judiciary, the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Responsibilities. All responsibility for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts is vested in the Director, who is the chief administrative officer for the federal courts. Under his direction, the agency carries out the following functions:

• Implements the policies of the Judicial Conference of the United States and supports its network of 24 committees (including advisory and special committees) by providing staff to plan meetings, develop agendas, prepare reports, and provide substantive analytical support to the development of issues, projects, and recommendations.
• Supports about 2,000 judicial officers, including active and senior appellate and district court judges, bankruptcy judges, and magistrate judges.
• Advises court administrators regarding procedural and administrative matters.
• Provides program leadership and support for circuit executives, clerks of court, staff attorneys, probation and pretrial services officers, federal defenders, panel attorneys, circuit librarians, conference attorneys/circuit mediators, bankruptcy administrators, and other court employees.
• Provides centralized core administrative functions such as payroll, personnel, and accounting services.
• Administers the Judiciary's unique personnel systems and monitors its fair employment practices program.
• Develops and executes the budget and provides guidance to courts for local budget execution.
• Defines resource requirements through forecasts of caseloads, work-measurement analyses, assessment of program changes, and reviews of individual court requirements.
• Provides legislative counsel and services to the Judiciary; acts as liaison with the legislative and executive branches.
• Prepares manuals and a variety of other publications.
• Collects and analyzes detailed statistics on the workload of the courts.
• Monitors and reviews the performance of programs and use of resources.
• Conducts education and training programs on administrative responsibilities.
• Audits the courts' financial operations and provides guidance on management oversight and stewardship issues.
• Handles public affairs for the Judiciary, responding to numerous inquiries from Congress, the media, and the public.
• Develops new ways for handling court business, and provides assistance to court employees to help them implement programs and improve operations.
• Develops and supports automated systems and technologies used throughout the courts.
• Coordinates with the General Services Administration the construction and management of the Judiciary's space and facilities.
• Monitors the U.S. Marshals Service's implementation of the Judicial Facilities Security Program, including court security officers, and executes security policy for the Judiciary.