Judiciary Budget Request, FY2016

Judiciary Budget Request, FY2016

Updated February 5, 2015
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2016
Overview

The FY2016 judiciary budget request totals $7.53 billion,
an increase of 3.8% over the FY2015 appropriations. This
Table 1. FY2016 Request and FY2015 Appropriations
total includes $6.96 billion in discretionary funds, and
(in millions of dollars)
$571.1 million in mandatory funding, which is used to pay
the salaries and benefits of judges.
FY2016
FY2015
Account
Request Enacted
Two accounts fund the Supreme Court, a Salaries and
Supreme Court

Expenses account and an account for the care of its building
Buildings and Grounds
and grounds, which is the responsibility of the Architect of
$10.0
$11.6
the Capitol. Together, these total approximately 1% of the
Salaries and Expenses
judiciary’s budget. The rest of the judiciary’s budget
$78.3
$77.5
provides funding for the “lower” federal courts and related
Court of Appeals for the Federal
judicial services.
Circuit
$33.8
$33.1
The largest account—the Salaries and Expenses account for
Court of International Trade
$20.2
$19.8
the U.S. Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other
Judicial Services—is approximately 72% of the total
Courts of Appeals, District Courts,
FY2016 budget request, and covers the “salaries of circuit
and Other Judicial Services

and district judges (including judges of the territorial courts
Salaries and Expenses
of the United States), justices and judges retired from office
$5,444.6 $5,258.8
or from regular active service, judges of the U.S. Court of
Vaccine Injury Trust Fund
Federal Claims, bankruptcy judges, magistrate judges, and
$6.0
$5.4
all other officers and employees of the federal judiciary not
otherwise specifically provided for,” and “necessary
Defender Services
$1,057.6 $1,016.5
expenses of the courts.” Two other large accounts provide
funds for Defender Services (14.0%) and Court Security
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
$52.4
$52.2
(7.2%).
Court Security
$542.4
$514.0
The remaining judiciary budget is divided among the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (0.4% in FY2016
Administrative Office of the U.S.
request), U.S. Court of International Trade (0.3%), Fees of
Courts
$87.6
$84.4
Jurors and Commissioners (0.7%), Administrative Office of
Federal Judicial Center
the U.S. Courts (1.2%), Federal Judicial Center (0.4%),
$27.7
$27.0
U.S. Sentencing Commission (0.2%), and Judicial
Judicial Retirement Funds
Retirement Funds (2.1%).
$155.4
$143.6
Sentencing Commission
The judiciary also uses non-appropriated funds to offset its
$17.5
$16.9
appropriations requirement. The majority of these non-
appropriated funds are from the collection of fees, primarily
Total
7,533.4
$7,260.8
court filing fees. The appropriation request reflects the net
Source: FY2016 Judicial Branch Budget Justification.
needs of the judiciary after use of these funds.
Individual Accounts
As a co-equal branch of government, the judiciary presents
its budget to the President, who transmits it to Congress
Supreme Court
unaltered, as part of his annual budget request.
Appropriations for the judiciary are typically included in
The total FY2016 request for the Supreme Court, $88.3
the Financial Services and General Government
million, is contained in two accounts: (1) Salaries and
Appropriations Act. Appropriations for the judiciary
Expenses of $78.3 million and (2) Care of the Building and
comprise approximately (0.2%) of total budget authority.
Grounds of $10.0 million. The total represents a 0.9%
decrease over the FY2015 enacted level.
Figure 1 presents the FY2016 request and FY2015 enacted
level for each account.
https://crsreports.congress.gov

Judiciary Budget Request, FY2016
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Defender Services
This court, consisting of 12 judges, has jurisdiction over,
This account funds the operations of the federal public
and review of, among other things, certain lower court
defender and community defender organizations, and
rulings on patents and trademarks, international trade, and
compensation, reimbursements, and expenses of private
federal claims cases. The FY2016 budget request is $33.8
practice panel attorneys appointed by federal courts to serve
million, an increase of 2.0% over the FY2015 enacted level.
as defense counsel to indigent individuals. The cost for this
account is driven by the number and type of prosecutions
U.S. Court of International Trade
brought by U.S. attorneys. The FY2016 request is $1,057.6
million, an increase of 4.0% over the FY2015 enacted level.
This court has exclusive nationwide jurisdiction over the
civil actions against the United States, its agencies and
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
officers, and certain civil actions brought by the United
States arising out of import transactions and the
This account funds the fees and allowances provided to
administration as well as enforcement of federal customs
grand and petit jurors, and compensation for jury and land
and international trade laws. The FY2016 request of $20.2
commissioners. The FY2016 request is $52.4 million, an
million is an increase of 1.8% over the FY2015 enacted
increase of 0.4% over the FY2015 enacted level.
level.
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC)
Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial
Services
As the central support entity for the judiciary, the AOUSC
provides a wide range of administrative, management,
The total FY2016 funding request of $7,103.0 million
program, and information technology services to the U.S.
covers 12 of the 13 courts of appeals and 94 district judicial
courts. AOUSC also provides support to the Judicial
courts located in the 50 states, District of Columbia,
Conference of the United States, and implements
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the
conference policies and applicable federal statutes and
Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam and
regulations. The FY2016 request for AOUSC is $87.6
the U.S. Virgin Islands. The account is divided among
million, an increase of 3.8% over the FY2015 enacted level.
salaries and expenses, the Vaccine Injury Compensation
Trust Fund, court security, defender services, and fees of
Federal Judicial Center
jurors and commissioners.
As the judiciary’s research and education entity, the Federal
Salaries and Expenses
Judicial Center undertakes research and evaluation of
judicial operations for the Judicial Conference committees
The FY2016 request for this account is $5,444.6 million, an
and the courts. In addition, the center provides judges, court
increase of 3.5% over the FY2015 enacted level.
staff, and others with orientation and continuing education
and training. The center’s FY2016 request is $27.7 million,
Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund
an increase of 2.7% over the FY2015 enacted level.
Established to address a perceived crisis in vaccine tort
United States Sentencing Commission
liability claims, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
funds a federal no-fault program that protects the
The commission promulgates sentencing policies, practices,
availability of vaccines in the nation by diverting a
and guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. The
substantial number of claims from the tort arena. The
FY2016 request is $17.5 million, an increase of 3.8% over
FY2016 request is $6.0 million, a 11.5% increase over the
the FY2015 enacted level.
FY2015 enacted level.
Judiciary Retirement Funds
Court Security
This mandatory account provides for three trust funds that
finance payments to retired bankruptcy and magistrate
This account provides for protective services, security
judges, retired Court of Federal Claims judges, and the
systems, and equipment needs in courthouses and other
spouses and dependent children of deceased judicial
federal facilities to ensure the safety of judicial officers,
officers. The FY2016 request is for $155.4 million.
employees, and visitors. Under this account, the majority of
funding for court security is transferred to the U.S.
Matthew E. Glassman, Analyst on the Congress
Marshals Service to pay for court security officers under the
Judicial Facility Security Program. The FY2016 request is
IF10123
$542.4 million, an increase of 5.5% over the FY2015
enacted level.

https://crsreports.congress.gov

Judiciary Budget Request, FY2016

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10123 · VERSION 2 · UPDATED