US judiciary reduces budget request to Congress and issues warning of potential shortfall

A bronze statue titled “Justice Delayed, Justice Denied” depicting a figure of Justice is seen on the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S., September 1, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

The U.S. federal judiciary has reduced its 2024 budget request to $8.95 billion, representing a 5.8% increase from the previous year. This comes amid pending bills in Congress that could result in significant cuts to court and public defender staffing.

The budget request, initially seeking an 8% increase from 2023, has been scaled back due to cost-saving measures implemented by the judiciary. However, despite these efforts, it is facing funding gaps under pending bills in Congress, with both the House and Senate versions falling short by $270 million and $387 million respectively.

The judiciary warns that without addressing these funding gaps, it will be forced to defer security improvements and face potential staff reductions, affecting courts and federal defender organizations.

Furthermore, the bills could hinder the judiciary’s ability to ensure court-appointed counsel for eligible defendants and staff probation offices to respond to a U.S. Sentencing Commission decision. This decision could result in the need for probation staff to process more than 18,700 sentence reduction motions and supervise 7,500 incarcerated individuals eligible for release in 2024.

While most federal appeals courts and district courts have reduced their funding requests, the U.S. Supreme Court aims to increase its discretionary funding by $13.5 million to $161.3 million.

These developments come amid ongoing budget processes and potential cuts to public defender and cyber spending. An official report has warned that public defenders could lose hundreds of staff in a budget shortfall.

Nate Raymond in Boston reports on the federal judiciary and litigation. He can be reached at nate.raymond@thomsonreuters.com.