April 22, 2014
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2015
Overview
The FY2015 judiciary budget request totals $7.30 billion,
Table 1. FY2015 Request and FY2014 Appropriations
an increase of 3.7% over the FY2014 appropriations. This
(in millions of dollars)
total includes $6.74 billion in discretionary funds, and
$565.6 million in mandatory funding, which is used to pay
FY2015 FY2014
the salaries and benefits of judges.
Account
Request Enacted
Supreme Court
Two accounts fund the Supreme Court, a Salaries and
Expenses account and a second account for the care of its
Buildings and Grounds
$11.6
$11.2
building and grounds, which are the responsibility of the
Architect of the Capitol. Together, these total
Salaries and Expenses
$77.5
$75.1
approximately 1% of the judiciary budget. The rest of the
judiciary's budget provides funding for the “lower” federal
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
$33.1
$32.3
courts and related judicial services.
Court of International Trade
$19.8
$21.1
The largest account—the Salaries and Expenses account for
the U.S. Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other
Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and
Judicial Services— is approximately 72% of the total
Other Judicial Services
FY2015 budget request, and covers the “salaries of circuit
Salaries and Expenses
$5,242.2 $5,047.5
and district judges (including judges of the territorial courts
of the United States), justices and judges retired from office
Vaccine Injury Trust Fund
$5.4
$5.3
or from regular active service, judges of the U.S. Court of
Federal Claims, bankruptcy judges, magistrate judges, and
Defender Services
$1,053.2 $1,044.4
all other officers and employees of the federal judiciary not
otherwise specifically provided for,” and “necessary
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
$55.8
$53.9
expenses of the courts.” Two other large accounts provide
funds for Defender Services (14.4%) and Court Security
Court Security
$530.8
$497.5
(7.4%).
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
$84.4
$81.2
The remaining judiciary budget is divided among the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (0.5% in FY2015
Federal Judicial Center
$27.0
$26.2
request), U.S. Court of International Trade (0.3%), Fees of
Jurors and Commissioners (0.8%), Administrative Office of
Judicial Retirement Funds
$143.6
$126.9
the U.S. Courts (1.2%), Federal Judicial Center (0.4%),
U.S. Sentencing Commission (0.2%), and Judicial
Sentencing Commission
$16.9
$16.2
Retirement Funds (1.8%).
Total
$7,301.2 $7,038.9
The judiciary also uses non-appropriated funds to offset its
appropriations requirement. The majority of these non-
Source: FY2015 Judicial Branch Budget Justification.
appropriated funds are from the collection of fees, primarily
from court filing fees.
Individual Accounts
As a co-equal branch of government, the judiciary presents
Supreme Court
its budget to the President, who transmits it to Congress
unaltered, as part of his annual budget request.
The total FY2015 request for the Supreme Court, $89.1
Appropriations for the judiciary are typically included in
million, is contained in two accounts: (1) Salaries and
the Financial Services and General Government
Expenses of $77.5 million and (2) Care of the Building and
Appropriations Act. Appropriations for the judiciary
Grounds of $11.6 million. The total represents a 3.4%
comprise approximately (0.2%) of total budget authority.
increase over the FY2014 enacted level.
Table 1 presents the FY2015 request and FY2014 enacted
level for each account.
www.crs.gov | 7-5700
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2015
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
practice panel attorneys appointed by federal courts to serve
as defense counsel to indigent individuals. The cost for this
This court, consisting of 12 judges, has jurisdiction over,
account is driven by the number and type of prosecutions
and review of, among other things, certain lower court
brought by U.S. attorneys. The FY2015 request is $1,053.2
rulings on patents and trademarks, international trade, and
million, an increase of 0.8% over the FY2014 enacted level.
federal claims cases. The FY2015 budget request is $33.1
million, an increase of 2.1% over the FY2014 enacted level.
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
U.S. Court of International Trade
This account funds the fees and allowances provided to
grand and petit jurors, and compensation for jury and land
This court has exclusive jurisdiction nationwide over the
commissioners. The FY2015 request is $55.8 million, an
civil actions against the United States, its agencies and
increase of 3.6% over the FY2014 enacted level.
officers, and certain civil actions brought by the United
States arising out of import transactions and the
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC)
administration as well as enforcement of federal customs
and international trade laws. The FY2015 request of $19.8
As the central support entity for the judiciary, the AOUSC
million is a decrease of 6.2% over the FY2014 enacted
provides a wide range of administrative, management,
level.
program, and information technology services to the U.S.
courts. AOUSC also provides support to the Judicial
Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial
Conference of the United States, and implements
Services
conference policies and applicable federal statutes and
regulations. The FY2015 request for AOUSC is $84.4
The total FY2015 funding request of $6,887.4 million
million, an increase of 3.9% over the FY2014 enacted level.
covers 12 of the 13 courts of appeals and 94 district judicial
courts located in the 50 states, District of Columbia,
Federal Judicial Center
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam and
As the judiciary's research and education entity, the Federal
the U.S. Virgin Islands. The account is divided among
Judicial Center undertakes research and evaluation of
salaries and expenses, the Vaccine Injury Compensation
judicial operations for the Judicial Conference committees
Trust Fund, court security, defender services, and fees of
and the courts. In addition, the center provides judges, court
jurors and commissioners.
staff, and others with orientation and continuing education
and training. The center's FY2015 request is $27.0 million,
Salaries and Expenses
an increase of 2.9% over the FY2014 enacted level.
The FY2015 request for this account is $5,242.2 million, an
United States Sentencing Commission
increase of 3.9% over the FY2014 enacted level.
The commission promulgates sentencing policies, practices,
Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund
and guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. The
FY2015 request is $16.9 million, an increase of 4.2% over
Established to address a perceived crisis in vaccine tort
the FY2014 enacted level.
liability claims, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
funds a federal no-fault program that protects the
Judiciary Retirement Funds
availability of vaccines in the nation by diverting a
substantial number of claims from the tort arena. The
This mandatory account provides for three trust funds that
FY2015 request is $5.4 million, a 1.8% increase over the
finance payments to retired bankruptcy and magistrate
FY2014 enacted level.
judges, retired Court of Federal Claims judges, and the
spouses and dependent children of deceased judicial
Court Security
officers. The FY2015 request was for $143.6 million.
This account provides for protective guard services,
Matthew E. Glassman, mglassman@crs.loc.gov, 7-3467
security systems, and equipment needs in courthouses and
other federal facilities to ensure the safety of judicial
IF00020
officers, employees, and visitors. Under this account, the
majority of funding for court security is transferred to the
U.S. Marshals Service to pay for court security officers
under the Judicial Facility Security Program. The FY2015
request is $530.8 million, an increase of 6.7% over the
FY2014 enacted level.
Defender Services
This account funds the operations of the federal public
defender and community defender organizations, and
compensation, reimbursements, and expenses of private
www.crs.gov | 7-5700
Document Outline