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Updated April 25, 2022
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2023
Overview
Table 1. FY2022 Discretionary Appropriations and
The FY2023 judiciary budget request includes $8.64 billion
FY2023 Discretionary Appropriations Request
in discretionary funds (an increase of 8.2% over the
(in millions of dol ars)
FY2022 enacted level), and $767.2 million in mandatory
appropriations used, in part, to pay the salaries and benefits
FY2022 FY2023
of certain types of judges and provide funds for judicial
Account
Enacted Request
retirement accounts.
Supreme Court (total)
$112.7 $140.7
The judiciary also uses nonappropriated funds to offset its
Salaries and Expenses
$98.3
$107.2
appropriations requirement. The majority of these
nonappropriated funds are from the collection of fees,
Buildings and Grounds
$14.4
$33.5
primarily court filing fees. The judiciary’s annual
appropriations request reflects the net needs of the judiciary
Court of Appeals for the Federal
after the use of nonappropriated funds.
$34.3
$36.4
Circuit
As a coequal branch of government, the judiciary presents
Court of International Trade
$20.6
$21.4
its budget to the President, who transmits it to Congress
unaltered, as part of his annual budget request.
Courts of Appeals, District Courts,
$7,670.6 $8,276.8
Appropriations for the judiciary are typically included in
and Other Judicial Services (total)
the Financial Services and General Government
Appropriations Act. Appropriations for the judiciary
Salaries and Expenses
$5,580.1 $5,973.3
typically comprise approximately 0.2% of total federal
budget authority.
Defender Services
$1,343.2 $1,461.7
Table 1 presents the FY2022 discretionary enacted level
Court Security
$704.8
$785.6
and the FY2023 discretionary request for each account. The
enacted levels are based on amounts included in regular
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
$32.6
$45.7
FY2022 appropriations, and do not include any
supplemental appropriations subsequently provided.
Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund
$9.9
$10.5
Individual Accounts
Administrative Office of the U.S.
$98.5 $111.3
Courts
Supreme Court
The total FY2023 discretionary request for the Supreme
Federal Judicial Center
$29.9
$33.5
Court, $140.7 million, is contained in two accounts: (1)
Salaries and Expenses ($107.2 million) and (2) Care of the
Sentencing Commission
$20.6
$21.9
Building and Grounds ($33.5 million). The total represents
a 24.8% increase over the FY2022 enacted level.
TOTAL
$7,987.2 $8,642.0
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Sources: H.R. 2471, FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L.
117-103); FY2023 Judicial Branch Budget Justification.
This court, consisting of 12 judges, has jurisdiction over
and review of certain lower court rulings on patents and
Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding.
trademarks, international trade, and federal claims cases.
Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other
The FY2023 discretionary budget request is $36.4 million,
a 6.1% increase over the FY2022 enacted level.
Judicial Services
The total FY2023 discretionary funding request of $8.28
U.S. Court of International Trade
billion covers 12 of the regional courts of appeals and 94
This court has exclusive nationwide jurisdiction over civil
district courts located in the 50 states, District of Columbia,
actions against the United States, its agencies, and its
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the
officers, and certain civil actions brought by the United
Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam and
States arising out of import transactions and the
the U.S. Virgin Islands. The account is divided among
administration and enforcement of federal customs and
salaries and expenses, defender services, court security, the
international trade laws. The FY2023 discretionary request
fees of jurors and commissioners, and the Vaccine Injury
of $21.4 million is an increase of 3.9% over the FY2022
Compensation Trust Fund.
enacted level.
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link to page 2 Judiciary Budget Request, FY2023
Salaries and Expenses
United States Sentencing Commission
The commission promulgates sentencing policies, practices,
The FY2023 discretionary request for this account is $5.97
and guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. The
billion, an increase of 7.0% over the FY2022 enacted level.
FY2023 request is $21.9 million, an increase of 6.3% over
the FY2022 enacted level.
Defender Services
This account funds the operations of the federal public
Mandatory Funding
defender and community defender organizations, and
Mandatory funding in the judiciary budget includes
compensation, reimbursements, and expenses of private
constitutionally required funding for the salaries and
practice panel attorneys appointed by federal courts to serve
benefits of Article III judges, as well as statutory direct
as defense counsel to indigent individuals. The cost for this
spending for the salaries and benefits of certain Article I
account is determined by the number and type of
judges. Mandatory appropriations also provide funding for
prosecutions brought by U.S. attorneys. The FY2023
judicial retirement accounts. Table 2 presents the FY2022
request is $1.46 billion, an increase of 8.8% over the
enactment for each account and the FY2023 request.
FY2022 enacted level.
Table 2. FY2022 Mandatory Appropriations and
Court Security
FY2023 Mandatory Budget Request
(in millions of dol ars)
This account provides for protective services, security
systems, and equipment needs in courthouses and other
FY2022
FY2023
federal facilities to ensure the safety of judicial officers,
Account
Enacted Request
employees, and visitors. Under this account, the majority of
funding for court security is transferred to the U.S.
Supreme Court
$2.8
$2.9
Marshals Service to pay for court security officers under the
Court of Appeals for the Federal
Judicial Facility Security Program. The FY2023 request is
$3.2
$3.4
Circuit
$785.6 million, an increase of 11.5% over the FY2022
enacted level.
Court of International Trade
$2.2
$2.3
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
Courts of Appeals, District Courts,
$480.5
$506.8
and Other Judicial Services
This account funds the fees and allowances provided to
grand and petit jurors, and compensation for jury and land
Judicial Retirement Funds
$272.6
$251.8
commissioners. The FY2023 request is $45.7 million, an
increase of 40.2% over the FY2022 enacted level.
TOTAL
$761.3
$767.2
Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund
Source: FY2023 Judicial Branch Budget Justification. Enacted column
reflects FY2022 assumed levels provided in the FY2023 Budget
The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program funds
Justification.
a federal no-fault program that protects the availability of
Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding.
vaccines in the nation by diverting a substantial number of
claims from the tort arena. The FY2023 request is $10.5
FY2023 Funding Priorities
million, a 6.1% increase over the FY2022 enacted level.
According to the federal judiciary, several of its funding
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO)
priorities for FY2023 include providing the necessary
resources to support the “substantial increase” in the
As the central support entity for the judiciary, the AO
confirmation of Article III judges over the past several
provides a wide range of administrative, management,
years; providing for the appointment of four full-time
program, and information technology services to the U.S.
magistrate judges and converting two part-time magistrate
courts. The AO also provides support to the Judicial
judge positions to full-time status; hiring additional court
Conference of the United States, and implements
support staff and probation and pretrial services program
conference policies and applicable federal statutes and
staff to assist with anticipated increases in workload and
regulations. The FY2023 request for AO is $111.3 million,
caseloads; adding 18 FTE to federal public defender
an increase of 13.0% over the FY2022 enacted level.
organizations to address an increase in projected federal
Federal Judicial Center
defender workload; and continuing to provide for the
As the judiciary’
hardening and security needs of federal courthouses.
s research and education entity, the Federal
Judicial Center undertakes research and evaluation of
judicial operations for the Judicial Conference committees
Barry J. McMillion, Analyst in American National
and the courts. In addition, the center provides judges, court
Government
staff, and others with orientation, continuing education, and
IF11842
training. The center’s FY2023 request is $33.5 million, an
increase of 12.0% over the FY2022 enacted level.
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Judiciary Budget Request, FY2023
Disclaimer
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