Judiciary Budget Request for FY2027

Judiciary Budget Request for FY2027

Judiciary Budget Request for FY2027

April 20, 2026 (IF13206)

Overview

The federal judiciary's FY2027 budget request was made public by the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts on March 25, 2026. The request seeks $9.7 billion in discretionary funding (an increase of 4.9% over the FY2026 enacted level), as well as $826.5 million in mandatory appropriations for judicial salaries and judicial retirement funds.

The judiciary also uses non-appropriated funds to offset its appropriations requirement. The majority of these non-appropriated funds are derived from the collection of fees, primarily court filing fees. The judiciary's annual appropriations request reflects the net needs of the judiciary after the use of non-appropriated funds.

Congress typically includes appropriations for the judiciary in the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill.

Table 1 presents the FY2026 discretionary enacted level and the FY2027 discretionary request for each account that is part of the judiciary's budget request.

Individual Accounts

Supreme Court

The total FY2027 discretionary request for the Supreme Court, $225.1 million, is contained in two accounts: (1) Salaries and Expenses ($207.0 million) and (2) Care of the Building and Grounds ($18.1 million). The total represents a 29.0% increase over the FY2026 enacted level (which includes supplemental funding enacted in P.L. 119-37). The FY2026 enacted amount reported in Table 1 does not include additional supplemental funding of $30 million included in H.R. 7147, which has not been enacted as of this writing.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

This court, consisting of 12 judges, exercises jurisdiction over certain lower court rulings on patents and trademarks, international trade, and federal claims cases. The FY2027 discretionary budget request is $38.7 million, an increase of 5.4% over the FY2026 enacted level.

U.S. Court of International Trade

This court has exclusive nationwide jurisdiction over civil actions against the United States, its agencies, and its officers, and certain civil actions brought by the United States arising out of import transactions and the administration and enforcement of federal customs and international trade laws. The FY2027 discretionary request of $22.9 million is an increase of 2.2% over the FY2026 enacted level.

Table 1. FY2026 Discretionary Appropriations and FY2027 Discretionary Appropriations Request

(in millions of dollars)

Account

FY2026 Enacted

FY2027 Request

Supreme Court (total)

$174.5

$225.1

Salaries and Expenses

$163.1

$207.0

Buildings and Grounds

$11.4

$18.1

Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

$36.7

$38.7

Court of International Trade

$22.4

$22.9

Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services (total)

$8,816.3

$9,202.0

Salaries and Expenses

$6,127.1

$6,439.0

Defender Services

$1,766.0

$1,792.8

Court Security

$892.0

$920.9

Fees of Jurors and Commissioners

$19.1

$37.1

Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund

$12.1

$12.1

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

$107.0

$113.8

Federal Judicial Center

$35.1

$35.6

Sentencing Commission

$22.7

$23.7

TOTAL

$9,214.7

$9,661.8

Sources: H.R. 7148, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75); Fiscal Year 2027 Congressional Budget Summary (prepared by the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts, March 2026).

Notes: Columns may not sum due to rounding. The FY2026 amount reported for Supreme Court Salaries and Expenses includes supplemental funding enacted for FY2026 ($28 million; P.L. 119-37) but does not include additional supplemental funding of $30 million included in H.R. 7147, which has not been enacted as of this writing.

Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services

This account, which is the largest included in the judiciary's budget request, provides funding for 12 U.S. courts of appeals and 94 district courts located in the 50 states, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories. The account is further divided to represent costs associated with judicial salaries and expenses, defender services, court security, the fees paid to jurors and commissioners, and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund. The FY2027 discretionary budget request of $9.2 billion is an increase of 4.4% over the FY2026 enacted level.

Salaries and Expenses

The FY2027 discretionary request for this account is $6.4 billion, an increase of 5.1% over the FY2026 enacted level.

Defender Services

This account funds the operations of the federal public defender and community defender organizations, and compensation, reimbursements, and expenses of private practice panel attorneys appointed by federal courts to serve as defense counsel for indigent individuals. The FY2027 request is $1.8 billion, an increase of 1.5% over the FY2026 enacted level.

Court Security

This account provides for protective services, security systems, and equipment needs in courthouses and other federal facilities to ensure the safety of judicial officers, employees, and visitors. Under this account, the majority of 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 FY2027 request is $920.9 million, an increase of 3.2% over the FY2026 enacted level.

Fees of Jurors and Commissioners

This account funds the fees and allowances provided to grand and petit jurors, and compensation for jury and land commissioners. The FY2027 request is $37.1 million, an increase of 94.2% over the FY2026 enacted level.

Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program funds a federal no-fault program that protects the availability of vaccines in the nation by diverting a substantial number of claims from the tort arena. The FY2027 request is $12.1 million, approximately the same amount as the FY2026 enacted level.

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO)

The AO provides a wide range of administrative, management, program, and information technology services to the U.S. courts. It also provides support to the Judicial Conference of the United States, and implements conference policies and applicable federal statutes and regulations. The FY2027 request for AO is $113.8 million, an increase of 6.4% over the FY2026 enacted level.

Federal Judicial Center

As the judiciary's research and education entity, the Federal Judicial Center undertakes research and evaluation of judicial operations for the Judicial Conference committees and the courts. In addition, the center provides judges, court staff, and others with orientation, continuing education, and training. The center's FY2027 request is $35.6 million, an increase of 1.4% over the FY2026 enacted level.

United States Sentencing Commission

The commission promulgates sentencing policies, practices, and guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. The FY2027 request is $23.7 million, an increase of 4.4% over the FY2026 enacted level.

Mandatory Funding

Mandatory funding in the judiciary budget includes required funding for the salaries and benefits of Article I and Article III judges. Mandatory appropriations also provide funding for judicial retirement accounts. Table 2 presents the FY2026 assumed appropriations level for each account and the judiciary's FY2027 request.

Table 2. FY2026 Mandatory Appropriations and FY2027 Mandatory Budget Request

(in millions of dollars)

Account

FY2026 Enacted

FY2027 Request

Supreme Court

$3.3

$3.3

Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

$3.7

$3.8

Court of International Trade

$2.5

$2.6

Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services

$534.7

$542.9

Judicial Retirement Funds

$309.4

$274.0

TOTAL

$853.6

$826.5

Source: Fiscal Year 2027 Congressional Budget Summary (prepared by the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts, March 2026).

Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding.

Relevant Items Not Funded by Judiciary Appropriations

Three specialized courts are funded with other appropriations—the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the U.S Tax Court.

Additionally, the federal judiciary's courthouse construction and capital security projects are funded from the General Services Administration's budget.