Judiciary Budget Request, FY2017
Updated June 16, 2016
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2017
Overview
Table 1. FY2017 Request and FY2016 Appropriations
The FY2017 judiciary budget request totals $7.58 billion,
(in millions of dol ars)
an increase of 3.3% over the FY2016 appropriations. This
total includes $6.99 billion in discretionary funds (an
FY2017 FY2016
increase of 3.2%), and $591.2 million in mandatory funding
Account
Request Enacted
(an increase of 4.5%), which is used to pay the salaries and
Supreme Court
benefits of judges.
Buildings and Grounds
$14.9
$10.0
Two accounts fund the Supreme Court, a Salaries and
Expenses account and an account for the care of its building
Salaries and Expenses
$79.7
$78.4
and grounds, which is the responsibility of the Architect of
Court of Appeals for the Federal
$33.1
$33.8
the Capitol. Together, these total approximately 1% of the
judiciary’s budget. The rest of the judiciary’s b
Circuit
udget
provides funding for the lower federal courts and related
Court of International Trade
$20.5
$20.2
judicial services.
Courts of Appeals, District Courts,
The largest account—the Salaries and Expenses account for
and Other Judicial Services
the U.S. Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other
Judicial Services—is approximately 72% of the total
Salaries and Expenses
$5,469.8 $5,321.7
FY2017 budget request, and covers the “salaries of circuit
and district judges (including judges of the territorial courts
Vaccine Injury Trust Fund
$6.3
$6.1
of the United States), justices and judges retired from office
or from regular active service, judges of the U.S. Court of
Defender Services
$1,056.3 $1,004.9
Federal Claims, bankruptcy judges, magistrate judges, and
all other officers and employees of the federal judiciary not
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
$43.7
$44.2
otherwise specifically provided for,” and “necessary
expenses of the courts.” Two other large accounts provide
Court Security
$565.4
$538.2
funds for Defender Services (13.9%) and Court Security
(7.5%).
Administrative Office of the U.S.
$87.7
$85.7
Courts
The remaining judiciary budget is divided among the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (0.4% in FY2017
Federal Judicial Center
$28.3
$27.7
request), U.S. Court of International Trade (0.3%), Fees of
Jurors and Commissioners (0.6%), Administrative Office of
Judicial Retirement Funds
$161.0
$155.4
the U.S. Courts (1.2%), Federal Judicial Center (0.4%),
U.S. Sentencing Commission (0.2%), and Judicial
Sentencing Commission
$18.2
$17.6
Retirement Funds (2.2%).
Total
$7,584.8 $7,343.7
The judiciary also uses non-appropriated funds to offset its
Source: FY2017 Judicial Branch Budget Justification.
appropriations requirement. The majority of these non-
Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding. FY2016 enacted level
appropriated funds are from the collection of fees, primarily
reflects revisions to mandatory spending requirements.
court filing fees. The appropriation request reflects the net
needs of the judiciary after use of these funds.
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 FY2017 request for the Supreme Court, $94.5
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 $79.7 million and (2) Care of the Building and
Appropriations Act. Appropriations for the judiciary
Grounds of $14.9 million. The total represents a 7.0%
comprise approximately 0.2% of total budget authority.
increase over the FY2016 enacted level.
Table 1 presents the FY2017 request and FY2016 enacted
level for each account.
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Judiciary Budget Request, FY2017
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 FY2017 budget request is $33.1
practice panel attorneys appointed by federal courts to serve
million, a decrease of 2.1% over the FY2016 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 FY2017 request is $1,056.3
million, an increase of 5.1% over the FY2016 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 FY2017 request of $20.5
commissioners. The FY2017 request is $43.7 million, a
million is an increase of 1.7% over the FY2016 enacted
decrease of 1.1% over the FY2016 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 FY2017 funding request of $7,141.5 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 FY2017 request for AOUSC is $87.7
the U.S. Virgin Islands. The account is divided among
million, an increase of 2.4% over the FY2016 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 FY2017 request for this account is $5,469.8 million, an
and the courts. In addition, the center provides judges, court
increase of 2.8% over the FY2016 enacted level.
staff, and others with orientation and continuing education
and training. The center’s FY2017 request is $28.3 million,
Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund
an increase of 2.2% over the FY2016 enacted level.
Established to address a perceived crisis in vaccine tort
Judiciary Retirement Funds
liability claims, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
funds a federal no-fault program that protects the
This mandatory account provides for three trust funds that
availability of vaccines in the nation by diverting a
finance payments to retired bankruptcy and magistrate
substantial number of claims from the tort arena. The
judges, retired Court of Federal Claims judges, and the
FY2017 request is $6.3 million, a 3.5% increase over the
spouses and dependent children of deceased judicial
FY2016 enacted level.
officers. The FY2017 request is for $161.0 million.
Court Security
United States Sentencing Commission
This account provides for protective services, security
The commission promulgates sentencing policies, practices,
systems, and equipment needs in courthouses and other
and guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. The
federal facilities to ensure the safety of judicial officers,
FY2017 request is $18.2 million, an increase of 3.3% over
employees, and visitors. Under this account, the majority of
the FY2016 enacted level.
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 FY2017 request is
Matthew E. Glassman, Analyst on the Congress
$565.4 million, an increase of 5.1% over the FY2016
enacted level.
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Judiciary Budget Request, FY2017
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