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July 5, 2017
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2018
Overview
Table 1. FY2018 Discretionary Request and FY2017
The FY2018 judiciary budget request totals $7.86 billion.
Discretionary Appropriations
This total includes $7.23 billion in discretionary funds (an
(in millions of dollars)
increase of 4.3% over FY2017) and $636.1 million in
mandatory funding, which is used to pay the salaries and
FY2018 FY2017
benefits of judges.
Account
Request Enacted
Supreme Court
The judiciary also uses non-appropriated funds to offset its
Buildings and Grounds
$15.7
$14.9
appropriations requirement. The majority of these non-
appropriated funds are from the collection of fees, primarily
court filing fees. The appropriation request reflects the net
Salaries and Expenses
$78.5
$76.7
needs of the judiciary after use of these funds.
Court of Appeals for the Federal
$31.1
$30.1
Circuit
As a co-equal branch of government, the judiciary presents
its budget to the President, who transmits it to Congress
Court of International Trade
$18.6
$18.5
unaltered, as part of his annual budget request.
Appropriations for the judiciary are typically included in
Courts of Appeals, District Courts,
the Financial Services and General Government
and Other Judicial Services
Appropriations Act. Appropriations for the judiciary
comprise approximately 0.2% of total federal budget
Salaries and Expenses
$5,169.0 $4,996.4
authority.
Vaccine Injury Trust Fund
$8.2
$6.5
Table 1 presents the FY2018 discretionary request and
FY2017 discretionary enacted level for each account.
Defender Services
$1,132.3 $1,044.6
Individual Accounts
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
$52.7
$39.9
Supreme Court
Court Security
$583.8
$565.4
The total FY2018 discretionary request for the Supreme
Administrative Office of the U.S.
$90.3
$87.5
Court, $94.2 million, is contained in two accounts: (1)
Courts
Salaries and Expenses ($78.5 million) and (2) Care of the
Building and Grounds ($15.7 million). The total represents
Federal Judicial Center
$29.1
$28.3
a 2.5% increase over the FY2017 enacted level.
Sentencing Commission
$18.6
$18.1
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
TOTAL
$7,227.9 $6,927.0
This court, consisting of 12 judges, has jurisdiction over,
Source: FY2018 Judicial Branch Budget Justification.
and review of, among other things, certain lower court
Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding.
rulings on patents and trademarks, international trade, and
federal claims cases. The FY2018 discretionary budget
Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other
request is $31.1 million, a 2.9% increase over the FY2017
Judicial Services
enacted level.
U.S. Court of International Trade
The total FY2018 discretionary funding request of $6,946.0
million covers 12 of the 13 courts of appeals and 94 district
judicial courts located in the 50 states, District of Columbia,
This court has exclusive nationwide jurisdiction over the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the
civil actions against the United States, its agencies and
Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam and
officers, and certain civil actions brought by the United
the U.S. Virgin Islands. The account is divided among
States arising out of import transactions and the
salaries and expenses, the Vaccine Injury Compensation
administration as well as enforcement of federal customs
Trust Fund, court security, defender services, and fees of
and international trade laws. The FY2018 discretionary
jurors and commissioners.
request of $18.6 million is an increase of 1.3% over the
FY2017 enacted level.
Salaries and Expenses
https://crsreports.congress.gov
link to page 2 Judiciary Budget Request, FY2018
The FY2018 discretionary request for this account is
Federal Judicial Center
$5,169.0 million, an increase of 3.4% over the FY2017
enacted level.
As the judiciary’s research and education entity, the Federal
Judicial Center undertakes research and evaluation of
Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund
judicial operations for the Judicial Conference committees
and the courts. In addition, the center provides judges, court
Established to address a perceived crisis in vaccine tort
staff, and others with orientation and continuing education
liability claims, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
and training. The center’s FY2018 request is $29.1 million,
funds a federal no-fault program that protects the
an increase of 2.6% over the FY2017 enacted level.
availability of vaccines in the nation by diverting a
substantial number of claims from the tort arena. The
United States Sentencing Commission
FY2018 request is $8.2 million, a 26.3% increase over the
FY2017 enacted level.
The commission promulgates sentencing policies, practices,
and guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. The
Court Security
FY2017 request is $18.6 million, an increase of 2.6% over
the FY2017 enacted level.
This account provides for protective services, security
systems, and equipment needs in courthouses and other
federal facilities to ensure the safety of judicial officers,
Mandatory Funding
employees, and visitors. Under this account, the majority of
funding for court security is transferred to the U.S.
Mandatory funding in the judiciary budget includes
Marshals Service to pay for court security officers under the
constitutionally required funding for the salaries and
Judicial Facility Security Program. The FY2018 request is
benefits of Article III judges, as well as statutory direct
$583.8 million, an increase of 3.3% over the FY2017
spending for the salaries and benefits of certain Article I
enacted level.
judges. Table 2 presents the FY2018 mandatory request
and FY2017 enactment for each account.
Defender Services
Table 2. FY2018 Mandatory Budget Request
This account funds the operations of the federal public
(in millions of dollars)
defender and community defender organizations, and
compensation, reimbursements, and expenses of private
FY2018
FY2017
practice panel attorneys appointed by federal courts to serve
Account
Request Enacted
as defense counsel to indigent individuals. The cost for this
Supreme Court
$2.7
$2.6
account is driven by the number and type of prosecutions
brought by U.S. attorneys. The FY2018 request is $1,132.3
Court of Appeal for the Federal
$3.0
$3.0
million, an increase of 8.4% over the FY2017 enacted level.
Circuit
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
Court of International Trade
$2.1
$2.0
Courts of Appeals, District Courts,
This account funds the fees and allowances provided to
$433.4
$416.8
and Other Judicial Services
grand and petit jurors, and compensation for jury and land
commissioners. The FY2018 request is $52.7 million, an
Judicial Retirement Funds
$195.0
$168.3
increase of 31.9% over the FY2017 enacted level.
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC)
TOTAL
$636.1
$592.7
Source: FY2018 Judicial Branch Budget Justification.
As the central support entity for the judiciary, the AOUSC
Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding.
provides a wide range of administrative, management,
program, and information technology services to the U.S.
Matthew E. Glassman, Analyst on the Congress
courts. AOUSC also provides support to the Judicial
Conference of the United States and implements conference
IF10687
policies and applicable federal statutes and regulations. The
FY2018 request for AOUSC is $90.3 million, an increase of
3.2% over the FY2017 enacted level.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2018
Disclaimer
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