Judiciary Budget Request, FY2020

Judiciary Budget Request, FY2020

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April 3, 2019
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2020
Overview
Table 1. FY2020 Discretionary Request and FY2019
The FY2020 judiciary budget request totals $8.29 billion.
Discretionary Appropriations
This total includes $7.62 billion in discretionary funds (an
(in millions of dol ars)
increase of 4.9% over FY2019), and $669.8 million in
mandatory funding, which is used to pay the salaries and
FY2020 FY2019
benefits of judges.
Account
Request Enacted
Supreme Court

The judiciary also uses non-appropriated funds to offset its
appropriations requirement. The majority of these non-
Buildings and Grounds
$16.4
$16.0
appropriated funds are from the collection of fees, primarily
court filing fees. The appropriation request reflects the net
Salaries and Expenses
$87.7
$84.7
needs of the judiciary after use of these funds.
Court of Appeals for the Federal
$33.0
$32.0
As a coequal branch of government, the judiciary presents
Circuit
its budget to the President, who transmits it to Congress
Court of International Trade
$19.9
$18.9
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
$5,384.0 $5,144.4
authority.
Vaccine Injury Trust Fund
$9.0
$8.5
Table 1 presents the FY2020 discretionary request and
FY2019 discretionary enacted level for each account.
Defender Services
$1,234.6 $1,150.4
Individual Accounts
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
$51.9
$49.7
Supreme Court
Court Security
$641.3
$607.1
The total FY2020 discretionary request for the Supreme
Court, $104.1 million, is contained in two accounts: (1)
Administrative Office of the U.S.
$96.9
$92.4
Salaries and Expenses ($87.7 million) and (2) Care of the
Courts
Building and Grounds ($16.4 million). The total represents
a 3.4% increase over the FY2019 enacted level.
Federal Judicial Center
$30.7
$29.8
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Sentencing Commission
$19.3
$19.0
This court, consisting of 12 judges, has jurisdiction over
and review of, among other things, certain lower court
TOTAL
$7,624.6 $7,253.0
rulings on patents and trademarks, international trade, and
Source: FY2020 Judicial Branch Budget Justification.
federal claims cases. The FY2020 discretionary budget
Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding.
request is $33.0 million, a 3.0% increase over the FY2019
enacted level.
Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other
U.S. Court of International Trade
Judicial Services
This court has exclusive nationwide jurisdiction over civil
The total FY2020 discretionary funding request of $7,320.7
actions against the United States, its agencies and officers,
million covers 12 of the 13 courts of appeals and 94 district
and certain civil actions brought by the United States
courts located in the 50 states, District of Columbia,
arising out of import transactions and the administration as
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the
well as enforcement of federal customs and international
Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam and
trade laws. The FY2020 discretionary request of $19.9
the U.S. Virgin Islands. The account is divided among
million is an increase of 5.6% over the FY2019 enacted
salaries and expenses, the Vaccine Injury Compensation
level.
Trust Fund, court security, defender services, and fees of
jurors and commissioners.
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link to page 2 Judiciary Budget Request, FY2020
Salaries and Expenses
training. The center’s FY2020 request is $30.7 million, an
The FY2020 discretionary request for this account is
increase of 3.1% over the FY2019 enacted level.
$5,384.0 million, an increase of 4.7% over the FY2019
enacted level.
United States Sentencing Commission
The commission promulgates sentencing policies, practices,
Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund
and guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. The
Established to address a perceived crisis in vaccine tort
FY2020 request is $19.3 million, an increase of 1.6% over
liability claims, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
the FY2019 enacted level.
funds a federal no-fault program that protects the
availability of vaccines in the nation by diverting a
Mandatory Funding
substantial number of claims from the tort arena. The
Mandatory funding in the judiciary budget includes
FY2020 request is $9.0 million, a 6.3% increase over the
constitutionally required funding for the salaries and
FY2019 enacted level.
benefits of Article III judges, as well as statutory direct
spending for the salaries and benefits of certain Article I
Court Security
judges. Table 2 presents the FY2020 mandatory request
This account provides for protective services, security
and FY2019 enactment for each account.
systems, and equipment needs in courthouses and other
federal facilities to ensure the safety of judicial officers,
Table 2. FY2020 Mandatory Budget Request
employees, and visitors. Under this account, the majority of
(in millions of dol ars)
funding for court security is transferred to the U.S.
Marshals Service to pay for court security officers under the
FY2020
FY2019
Judicial Facility Security Program. The FY2020 request is
Account
Request Enacted
$641.3 million, an increase of 5.6% over the FY2019
Supreme Court
$2.7
$2.7
enacted level.
Court of Appeals for the Federal
Defender Services
$3.0
$3.0
Circuit
This account funds the operations of the federal public
defender and community defender organizations, and
Court of International Trade
$2.1
$2.1
compensation, reimbursements, and expenses of private
practice panel attorneys appointed by federal courts to serve
Courts of Appeals, District Courts,
$421.8
$415.1
as defense counsel to indigent individuals. The cost for this
and Other Judicial Services
account is determined by the number and type of
Judicial Retirement Funds
$240.1
$211.7
prosecutions brought by U.S. attorneys. The FY2020
request is $1,234.6 million, an increase of 7.3% over the
TOTAL
$669.8
$634.6
FY2019 enacted level.
Source: FY2020 Judicial Branch Budget Justification. Enacted column
Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
reflects FY2019 assumed financial plan levels.
This account funds the fees and allowances provided to
Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding.
grand and petit jurors, and compensation for jury and land
commissioners. The FY2020 request is $51.9 million, an
Context of FY2020 Budget Request
increase of 4.2% over the FY2019 enacted level.
Prior to the enactment of full-year FY2019 appropriations,
the judiciary made assumptions to construct its FY2020
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC)
budget request that was transmitted to Congress on March
As the central support entity for the judiciary, the AOUSC
11, 2019. These assumptions are described in the full
provides a wide range of administrative, management,
FY2020 Congressional Budget Justification. Additionally,
program, and information technology services to the U.S.
the judiciary stated its intention to update its FY2020
courts. AOUSC also provides support to the Judicial
budget request after full-year FY2019 appropriations were
Conference of the United States, and implements
enacted (which occurred in February 2019) and, if
conference policies and applicable federal statutes and
considered necessary, to transmit to the appropriations
regulations. The FY2020 request for AOUSC is $96.9
committees any changes to its FY2020 appropriations
million, an increase of 4.9% over the FY2019 enacted level.
request. Consequently, the FY2020 amounts reported above
might not reflect the judiciary’s final FY2020 request.
Federal Judicial Center
As the judiciary’s research and education entity, the Federal
Judicial Center undertakes research and evaluation of
Barry J. McMillion, Analyst in American National
judicial operations for the Judicial Conference committees
Government
and the courts. In addition, the center provides judges, court
IF11168
staff, and others with orientation, continuing education, and

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Judiciary Budget Request, FY2020

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