COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS, AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

Salaries and Expenses

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT REQUIREMENTS Mandatory Discretionary Total

Fiscal Year 2023 Salaries and Expenses Appropriation $501,151,000 $5,905,055,000 $6,406,206,000

Fiscal Year 2023 Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund Appropriation $0 $9,975,000 $9,975,000

Total, Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriation $501,151,000 $5,915,030,000 $6,416,181,000

Fiscal Year 2024 Salaries and Expenses Appropriation Request $535,256,000 $6,370,391,000 $6,905,647,000

Fiscal Year 2024 Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund Appropriation Request $0 $10,869,000 $10,869,000

Total, Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriation Request $535,256,000 $6,381,260,000 $6,916,516,000

Requested Increase from Fiscal Year 2023 Enacted Appropriation $34,105,000 $466,230,000 $500,335,000

APPROPRIATION LANGUAGE

COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS, AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

 For the salaries of judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims, magistrate judges, and all other officers and employees of the Federal Judiciary not otherwise specifically provided for, necessary expenses of the courts, 

and the purchase, rental, repair, and cleaning of uniforms for Probation and Pretrial Services Office staff, as authorized by law, [$5,905,055,000]$6,370,391,000 (including the purchase of firearms and ammunition); of which not to 

exceed $27,817,000 shall remain available until expended for space alteration projects and for furniture and furnishings related to new space alteration and construction projects

 In addition, there are appropriated such sums as may be necessary under current law for the salaries of circuit and district judges (including judges of the territorial courts of the United States), bankruptcy judges, and justices and 

judges retired from office or from regular active service

 In addition, for expenses of the United States Court of Federal Claims associated with processing cases under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-660), not to exceed [$9,975,000]$10,869,000 to 

be appropriated from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund

(P L 117-328 - Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2023)

 4.1
Fiscal Year 2024 Resource Requirements:

FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount

 1,887 501,151 25,393 6,427,857 27,280 6,929,008

 - - - (185,034) - (185,034)

 1,887 501,151 25,393 6,242,823 27,280 6,743,974

 Estimated FY 2023 fee collections............................................................................................. - - - (138,236) - (138,236)

 Carryforward balances from FY 2022 and prior years into FY 2023................................................... - - - (189,557) - (189,557)

Fiscal Year 2023 Enacted Appropriation (includes Vaccine Injury Fund)............................................. 1,887 501,151 25,393 5,915,030 27,280 6,416,181

SUMMARY OF REQUEST 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

FISCAL YEAR 2024

Total 

Fiscal Year 2023 Available Resources (includes Vaccine Injury Fund).................................................

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

Mandatory Discretionary

Fiscal Year 2023 Obligations (includes Vaccine Injury Fund)............................................................

 Non-appropriated sources of funding...................................................................... 

FY 2022 Encumbered Carryforward .............................................................................................

 4.2
Page

FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount

Fiscal Year 2023 Base Assumed Appropriation (including Vaccine Injury Fund)................................. 1,887 501,151 25,393 5,915,030 27,280 6,416,181

Adjustments to Base to Maintain Current Services:

A. Judges and Associated Staff

4.27 1. Pay and benefit cost adjustments

4.28 - 17,846 - 6,348 - 24,194

4.28 - 5,137 - 1,827 - 6,964

4.28

4.28 i. Health benefits....................................................................................................... - 926 - 329 - 1,255

4.28 ii. FICA adjustment................................................................................................ - 1,272 - 442 - 1,714

4.28 18 4,852 100 11,983 118 16,835

4.29 7 1,948 35 4,084 42 6,032

4.30 8 2,124 23 2,790 31 4,914

B. Court Personnel and Programs

4.32 5. Pay and benefit cost adjustments

4.32 - - - 148,458 - 148,458

4.32 - - - 43,279 - 43,279

4.32 - - - 28,550 - 28,550

4.32

4.32 i. Health benefits........................................................................................................ - - - 17,387 - 17,387

4.32 ii. FICA adjustment.................................................................................................. - - - 1,445 - 1,445

4.32 - - - 15,335 - 15,335

4.33

 - - - 7,400 - 7,400

Discretionary

 decrease in non-appropriated funds .........................................................................................

6. Funding necessary to maintain FY 2023 service levels due to anticipated 

3. Increase in average number of senior judges (7 judge FTE/35 staff FTE)...................................

 c. Promotions and within-grade increases...................................................................................

 d. Benefits increases...........................................................................................................

 a. Proposed January 2024 pay adjustment (5.2% for nine months)......................................................

4. Increase in average number of filled bankruptcy judgeships (8 judge FTE/23 staff FTE) ...........................

 b. Annualization of January 2022 pay adjustment (4.6% for three months)..........................................

 e. One more compensable day..................................................................................................

 c. Benefits increases............................................................................................................

2. Increase in average number of filled Article III judgeships (18 judge FTE/100 staff FTE).................

 a. Proposed January 2024 pay adjustment (4.7% for nine months)......................................................

 b. Annualization of January 2023 pay adjustment (4.1% for three months)..........................................

Mandatory Total 

 4.3
Page C. Other Adjustments

FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount

4.34 - - - 28,879 - 28,879

4.34 - - - 894 - 894

4.34

4.34 - - - 9,057 - 9,057

4.35 - - - 21,244 - 21,244

4.35 - - - 31,286 - 31,286

4.35 - - - (1,448) - (1,448)

4.35 - - - (32,943) - (32,943)

4.38

4.38 - - - (9,928) - (9,928)

4.39 - - - (2,415) - (2,415)

4.39 - - - 1,191 - 1,191

4.39 - - - (6,009) - (6,009)

4.39 - - - 28,537 - 28,537

4.40 - - - (1,943) - (1,943)

4.40 - - - 17,456 - 17,456

4.40 - - 17,190 - 17,190

 33 34,105 158 390,705 191 424,810

 1,920 535,256 25,551 6,305,735 27,471 6,840,991

Program Increases:

4.41 11. New FY 2024 full-time magistrate judges and staff (1 full time new judgeship/

 1 FTE and 4 staff FTE).......................................................................................... - - 5 721 5 721

4.42 - - 99 10,052 99 10,052

4.42 - - 23 2,559 23 2,559

4.43 - - - 16,000 - 16,000

4.43 - - - 7,000 - 7,000

4.44 - - - 5,510 - 5,510

4.44 - - - 207 - 207

4.44 - - - 7,905 - 7,905

4.44 - - - 21,796 - 21,796

4.45 - - - 3,025 - 3,025

4.45 - - - 750 - 750

 - - 127 75,525 127 75,525

 1,920 535,256 25,678 6,381,260 27,598 6,916,516

 33 34,105 285 466,230 318 500,335

Financing the Fiscal Year 2024 Request:

 1,920 535,256 25,678 6,381,260 27,598 6,916,516

4.46 - - - 170,393 - 170,393

4.47 - - - 150,000 - 150,000

 1,920 535,256 25,678 6,701,653 27,598 7,236,909

 g. Court IT allotments..........................................................................................................

 e. Infrastructure and collaboration tools....................................................................................

Total Estimated Obligations, Fiscal Year 2024..............................................................................

22. Estimated FY 2024 fee collections..........................................................................................

23 Anticipated unencumbered carryforward from FY 2023..................................................................

 Total Current Services Appropriation Required.....................................................................

Total Appropriation Request, Fiscal Year 2024..............................................................................

Total Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriation Request..............................................................................

Total Appropriation Increase, Fiscal Year 2023 to Fiscal Year 2024...................................................

12. FY 2024 court support staffing due to workload changes.............................................................

21. Acquisition and Procurement Improvement ..........................................................

14. Judiciary Integrated Financial Management System.....................................................................

Mandatory Discretionary

 b. Building operations/GSA rent .............................................................................................

 Subtotal, Program Increases................................................................................

 Subtotal, Adjustments to Base to Maintain Current Services......................................................

 e. Non-recurring space adjustments........................................................................................

10. Information technology requirements .......................................................................................

 a. Court administration and case management systems..................................................................

13. National Court Law Clerk Program..........................................................................................

 b. Administrative and management systems..............................................................................

 c. IT court support reimbursable program adjustments..................................................................

 d. Telecommunication program..............................................................................................

 d. Space reduction...............................................................................................................

15. Identity Access Management System (IdAM)...........................................................................

16. Positions for IT infrastructure and modernization (58 reimbursable positions/29 reimbursable FTE)............

 f. Judicial statistical and reporting systems..................................................................................

Total 

7. Inflationary and miscellaneous adjustments.................................................................................

 c. Tenant improvements........................................................................................................

9. GSA space rental and related services

8. Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund adjustment.....................................................................

 a. Changes in space/new space................................................................................................

 h. Cybersecurity and IT modernization plan...............................................................................

17. Positions for Office of Public Affairs (2 reimbursable positions/1 reimbursable FTE)..............................

18. Office 365 Upgrade ..........................................................................................................

19. Tenant alterations to address life and safety requirements ...............................................................

20. Judiciary Data Integrity, Reporting, and Controls Program ............................................................

 4.4
COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

Salaries and Expenses ($000)

FY 2022 Actuals FY 2023 Assumed Obligations FY 2024 Request

Activity ($000) Direct Offsetting Coll Total Oblig Direct Offsetting Coll Total Oblig Direct Offsetting Coll Total Oblig

Appeals 761,978 23,961 785,939 731,478 59,695 791,173 788,505 37,824 826,329

District 2,856,586 89,827 2,946,413 3,000,002 244,826 3,244,828 3,233,888 155,129 3,389,017

Bankruptcy 820,559 25,803 846,362 841,474 68,672 910,146 907,077 43,512 950,590

Probation/Pretrial 1,633,553 51,368 1,684,921 1,833,252 149,609 1,982,862 1,976,176 94,797 2,070,973

Total Obligations 6,072,677 190,958 6,263,635 6,406,206 522,802 6,929,008 6,905,647 331,262 7,236,909

 Encumbered Carryforward - - - - (185,034) (185,034)

Revised Obligations 6,072,677 190,958 6,263,635 6,406,206 337,768 6,743,974 6,905,647 331,262 7,236,909

Fee Availability (162,402) (162,402) (138,236) (138,236) (170,393) (170,393)

Vaccine Injury Trust Fund (9,850) (9,850) (9,975) (9,975) (10,869) (10,869)

Prior Year Recoveries & Other Adjustments (15,728) (15,728)

Unobligated Balance, Start of Year:

 Encumbered Carryforward (188,586) (188,586)

 Unencumbered Carryforward (166,572) (166,572) (189,557) (189,557) (150,000) (150,000)

Unobligated Balance, End of Year:

 Encumbered Carryforward 185,035 185,035

 Unencumbered Carryforward 167,145 167,145 150,000 150,000

Transfer from Defenders Services (32,400) - (32,400) 

Anticipated Financial Plan Savings (150,000) (150,000)

Appropriation 6,040,277 - 6,040,277 6,406,206 - 6,406,206 6,905,647 - 6,905,647 

Mandatory 460,225 501,151 535,256

Discretionary (Direct) 5,580,052 5,905,055 6,370,391

FY 2022 Actuals FY 2023 Assued Obligations FY 2024 Request

Encumbered Unencumbered Total Encumbered Unencumbered Total Encumbered Unencumbered Total

Start of Year:

 Fee Account (104,721) (162,402) (267,123) (118,553) (173,829) (292,382) - (150,000) (150,000)

 Judiciary Information Technology Fund (50,266) (4,170) (54,436) (55,920) (15,728) (71,648) - - 

 S&E No-Year Funds (33,599) - (33,599) (10,562) - (10,562) - 

 Subtotal (Unobligated Balance) (188,586) (166,572) (355,158) (185,035) (189,557) (374,592) - (150,000) (150,000) 

End of Year: - - - - - - - 

 Fee Account 118,553 173,829 292,382 - - - - - - 

 Judiciary Information Technology Fund 55,920 15,728 71,648 - - - - - - 

 S&E No-Year Funds 10,562 - 10,562 - - - - - - 

Anticipated Financial Plan Savings1 - - - - 150,000 150,000 - - - 

 Subtotal (Unobligated Balance) 185,035 189,557 374,592 - 150,000 150,000 - - -

Carryforward (Unobligated Balance) Analysis ($000)

1

/Anticipated Financial Plan Savings for FY 2022 into FY 2023 ($150 million) would include unobligated balances from the Fee Account, the Judiciary Information Technology Fund, and S&E No-Year Funds 

4.5
COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

Salaries and Expenses

Obligations by Budget Object Class ($000)

FY 2022 Actuals FY 2023 Assumed Obligations FY 2024 Request

Description ($000) Direct Offsetting Coll. Total Oblig. Direct Offsetting Coll. Total Oblig. Direct Offsetting Coll. Total Oblig.

1100 Personnel compensation 2,804,259 88,181 2,892,440 2,942,831 240,161 3,182,992 3,237,230 155,289 3,392,519

1200 Personnel benefits 1,050,308 33,027 1,083,335 1,052,863 85,923 1,138,786 1,191,062 57,135 1,248,196

1300 Benefits for former personnel 7,012 221 7,233 8,179 667 8,846 8,452 405 8,857

2100 Travel 49,979 1,572 51,551 49,280 4,022 53,302 53,528 2,568 56,095

2200 Transportation of Things 6,060 191 6,251 6,552 535 7,087 6,892 331 7,222

2310 Rental payments to GSA 1,010,575 31,778 1,042,353 1,031,686 84,194 1,115,880 1,105,979 53,054 1,159,033

2320 Rental payments to others 30,227 951 31,178 31,619 2,580 34,199 42,852 2,056 44,907

2330 Communications, utilities & misc 40,620 1,277 41,898 44,152 3,603 47,755 46,192 2,216 48,407

2400 Printing and reproduction 7,054 222 7,276 7,293 595 7,889 8,022 385 8,407

2500 Other services 442,104 13,902 456,007 591,981 48,311 640,292 499,223 23,948 523,171

2600 Supplies and materials 9,105 286 9,391 17,185 1,402 18,587 17,987 863 18,850

3100 Equipment 43,654 1,373 45,027 55,163 4,502 59,665 57,276 2,748 60,024

9100 Financial transfers 571,720 17,978 589,698 567,422 46,307 613,729 630,954 30,267 661,221

6,072,677 190,958 6,263,635 6,406,206 522,802 6,929,008 6,905,647 331,262 7,236,909

- - - - (185,034) (185,034) - - -

 6,072,677 190,958 6,263,635 6,406,206 337,768 6,743,974 6,905,647 331,262 7,236,909

Total Obligations

 Encumbered Carryforward

Revised Obligations

4.6
FY 2023 Assumed FY 2024 Request

No. of 

Authorized 

Judgeships

Compensation 

($000)

No. of 

Authorized 

Judgeships

Compensation 

($000)

Circuit Judgeships 167 43,871 167 46,753

District Judgeships 677 161,854 677 176,905

Senior/Retired Judgeships 199,713 208,950

Bankruptcy Judgeships 345 95,714 345 102,648

 Total 1,189 501,151 1,189 535,256

COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

Summary of Mandatory Obligations

 4.7
COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

Summary of Personnel Compensation and Benefits by Activity

FY 2024

Actual Adj. to Base Total Request

FTE Amount FTE Amount FTE Amount FTE Amount FTE Amount

Program ($000) ($000) ($000) ($000) ($000)

Appeals

Judges

Article III Judges

Active 161 42,529 158 43,871 1 2,883 - - 160 46,753 

Senior 117 31,314 126 34,815 2 2,365 - - 128 37,180 

Retired 30 6,925 30 8,192 - 798 - - 30 8,990 

Court Staff

Article III Judges' Staff 1,165 131,740 1,180 139,176 13 6,101 - - 1,193 145,277

Circuit Executives 293 48,128 330 59,528 - 4,025 - - 330 63,553 

Clerks Offices 578 71,617 540 77,346 - 5,229 1 45 541 82,620 

Staff and Preargument Attorneys 555 90,044 529 96,486 - 6,523 12 1,483 541 104,492

Librarians 195 26,399 214 30,928 - 2,091 - - 214 33,019 

Bankruptcy Appellate Panels 11 1,737 12 2,014 - 136 - - 12 2,150

Total Appeals 3,104 450,432 3,119 492,355 17 30,151 13 1,528 3,149 524,034

District

Judges

Article III Judges

Active 605 150,831 615 161,854 17 15,051 - - 632 176,905

Senior 486 116,997 498 126,421 5 5,297 - - 503 131,718

Retired 117 24,819 123 30,285 - 777 - - 123 31,062 

Magistrate Judges 583 152,478 607 173,391 - 9,193 1 298 608 182,882

Court of Federal Claims Judges 14 4,190 15 4,862 - 247 15 5,109 

Court Staff

Article III Judges' Staff 2,973 370,616 3,035 394,341 99 40,507 23 2,559 3,157 437,407

Magistrate Judges' Staff 1,107 157,760 1,156 171,526 - 11,597 4 345 1,161 183,468

Federal Claims Judges' Staff 64 7,807 71 8,793 - 1,312 - - 71 10,105 

Clerks Offices 5,647 692,684 5,607 740,472 - 50,094 50 4,787 5,657 795,353

Pro Se and death penalty 471 88,964 484 94,782 - 6,408 - - 484 101,190

Court Reporters 678 96,789 688 104,097 23 9,413 - - 711 113,510

Court Interpreters 103 19,607 88 19,013 - 1,286 - - 88 20,299

Total District 12,845 1,883,543 12,987 2,029,836 144 151,182 78 7,989 13,209 2,189,007

Bankruptcy 

Judges

Bankruptcy Judges 324 86,809 335 95,714 8 6,934 - - 343 102,648

Court Staff

Bankruptcy Judges' Staff 650 90,639 697 100,852 23 9,038 - - 720 109,890

Clerks 2,628 339,987 2,400 345,737 - 23,376 - - 2,400 369,113

Bankruptcy Administrators 43 6,431 42 6,486 - 439 1 72 43 6,997

Total Bankruptcy 3,644 523,866 3,474 548,790 31 39,787 1 72 3,506 588,649

Probation/Pretrial Services 7,695 1,118,752 7,700 1,250,794 - 84,567 35 3,664 7,735 1,339,025

Total Judges 2,434 616,893 2,508 679,403 33 43,545 1 298 2,542 723,246

Total Chambers 6,429 847,526 6,622 909,471 135 74,963 28 2,904 6,785 987,338

Total Court Staff 18,423 2,512,175 18,150 2,732,901 23 187,179 98 10,051 18,271 2,930,131

GRAND TOTAL 27,289 3,976,594 27,280 4,321,775 191 305,687 127 13,253 27,598 4,640,715

FY 2022 FY 2023

Assumed Workload Adj.

4.8
COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

Salaries and Expenses

Relation of Obligations to Outlays ($000)

FY 2022

Actual

FY 2023 

Assumed 

Obligations

FY 2024 

Request

Total Obligations 6,263,635 6,929,008 7,236,909

Obligated balance, start of year 355,158 207,960 150,000

Adjustments to prior-year activity (37,618) (185,035) -

Change in uncollected payments (51,087) - -

Obligated balance, end of year (207,960) (150,000) (125,000)

Total Outlays 6,322,128 6,801,933 7,261,909

Less Offsets (142,548) (143,591) (160,805)

Net Outlays 6,179,580 6,658,342 7,101,104

 4.9
4.10

GENERAL OVERVIEW

The judiciary performs a core government function that is a pillar of the United States of America’s democratic system of government. 

The scope and volume of the judiciary’s work is dictated by the functions assigned to it by the Constitution and by statute. The 

judiciary must adjudicate all criminal, bankruptcy, civil, and appellate cases that are filed with the courts and must protect the 

community by supervising defendants awaiting trial and persons under supervision on post-conviction release. 

The rulings of the federal courts protect the rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. Through fair and impartial judgments, 

the federal courts interpret and apply the law to resolve disputes. The district courts, courts of appeals, bankruptcy courts, and federal 

probation and pretrial services offices all work to ensure a fair and independent judicial process. 

The fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations request for the courts’ Salaries and Expenses account totals $6,916.5 million to support the 

operation of the courts. The request includes $535.3 million in mandatory appropriations and $6,381.3 million in discretionary 

appropriations. Specifically, this request funds appropriations for the salaries, benefits, and other operating expenses of judges and 

supporting personnel for the United States courts of appeals, district courts, bankruptcy courts, Court of Federal Claims, and probation 

and pretrial services offices. The request also funds the judiciary’s national information technology (IT) initiatives and other 

operations supporting the business functions of the courts. The FY 2024 request for the Salaries and Expenses account supports the 

operations of the courts at a current services level, as well as program changes for one new full-time magistrate judge and associated 

support staff; changes in court support staff due to caseload and workload estimates; new staff for information technology, public 

affairs, and the national district court law clerk program; a variety of critical information technology systems and projects; and tenant 

alterations projects required for the protection of life and safety. 

This account makes up approximately 69 percent of the judiciary’s total appropriations request and supports approximately 28,000 

employees, including judges, chambers staff, and court support staff positions in clerk of court and probation and pretrial services 

offices located throughout the United States in 637 federally-owned and leased court buildings and facilities (excluding Court of 

Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Court of Federal Claims, Court of International Trade, and Federal Defender Organizations). 
4.11

The four components of this account are (1) District Courts; (2) Appellate Courts; (3) Bankruptcy Courts; and (4) Probation and 

Pretrial Services Program. Each is discussed separately below. 

District Courts

The district courts are responsible for administering justice in civil and criminal cases under federal jurisdiction in 94 judicial districts 

throughout the United States and its territories. The public benefits from effective and efficient district courts by having criminal 

defendants processed through the criminal justice system and by having civil disputes resolved quickly and fairly. 

The number of criminal defendants, the mix of civil cases, the amount of juror activity, and the number of authorized judges require 

the courts to make staffing adjustments indicated by the district court staffing formulas, which are based primarily on civil and 

criminal cases and the number of judges supported. Projected caseload and workload through June 30, 2023, is used to determine 

district court support staffing requirements in FY 2024. 

Criminal Case Filings

Criminal case filings are, in part, influenced by the number of U.S. Attorneys and the emphasis placed on prosecution of offenses 

such as illegal immigration, drug crimes, and violations of firearms laws. As shown in Table 4.1 on page 4.19, for the 12-month 

period ending June 30, 2022, criminal cases filed decreased by 7.2 percent from the previous year. Defendants charged decreased by 

7.9 percent for the same 12-month period. Through June 2023, criminal cases filed are projected to increase by 4.1 percent, and 

criminal defendants charged are projected to increase by 0.9 percent. In addition, some specific geographic areas of the country 

continue to see elevated criminal case activity due to unique local conditions. Of particular note, district courts in Oklahoma have 

experienced significant increases in federal prosecutions stemming from the Supreme Court’s McGirt v Oklahoma decision and 

expect caseload to continue to increase. 

Regardless of a district court’s location, several factors highlight the importance of the courts receiving adequate staffing resources, 

including: the time-sensitive nature of criminal cases, due to statutory deadlines in the Speedy Trial Act; multiple hearings for 

defendants (i.e., initial appearances, arraignments, and pleas in the early stages alone); and the need for interpreter services. 
4.12

Civil Case Filings

Civil case filings are driven by prisoner petitions, social security cases, U.S. plaintiff recovery cases, large-volume multi-district 

litigation cases, and diversity of citizenship cases1. As shown in Table 4.1 on page 4.19, for the 12-month period ending June 30, 

2022, civil case filings decreased 21.5 percent from the previous year, primarily due to a significant decrease in tort actions filed in 

product liability and personal injury cases as part of the multidistrict litigation (MDL) Case No. 2885 (In Re: 3M Combat Arms 

Earplug Products Liability Litigation) in the Northern District of Florida. MDL cases are civil actions that involve one or more 

common questions of fact and are consolidated for pretrial proceedings to avoid duplication of discovery, prevent inconsistent pretrial 

rulings, and conserve the resources of the parties, their counsel, and the judiciary. The fluctuation caused by this MDL matter is 

reflected in the caseload. Due to the continued resolution of the MDL cases, new civil filings are expected to decrease by 5.3 percent 

in 2023. 

Appellate Courts

The 94 judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a United States court of appeals. The appellate 

court is responsible for hearing appeals from the district courts and the bankruptcy appellate panel (if one exists) located within its 

circuit, as well as appeals from certain federal administrative agencies and, in limited situations, direct appeals from bankruptcy 

courts. The appellate courts also have original jurisdiction in some categories of cases, such as petitions for Writ of Mandamus, 

second or successive habeas corpus petitions, and petitions for Writ of Prohibition. A party has the right to appeal every federal case 

in which a district court enters a final judgment. When an appeal is filed, a court of appeals reviews the decision and record of 

proceedings in the lower court or administrative agency. The court of appeals affirms, reverses, or remands the case back to the 

original court. The court of appeals will issue a written order or opinion in each case. Appeals from the courts of appeals may be 

taken to the United States Supreme Court, which, unlike the courts of appeals, generally has discretion over the number and types of 

cases it hears. Projected caseload and workload through June 30, 2023, is used to determine appellate court support staffing 

requirements in FY 2024. 

1 Diversity of citizenship exists when there is no common state citizenship between the plaintiffs and defendants in a suit. A district court has subject matter 

jurisdiction based on diversity of citizenship when the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, exclusive of interest and costs, and is between parties not from 

the same state or country. 
4.13

Appellate Case Filings

As shown in Table 4.1 on page 4.19, for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2022, the number of appeals filed decreased 8.1 percent 

from the previous year. The judiciary currently projects that appellate case filings will increase by 2.6 percent in 2023, mainly due to 

projected minor increases in criminal appeals offset by significant increases in other appeals, which include bankruptcy appeals and 

administrative agency appeals. Administration initiatives, legislative initiatives, and court decisions can have significant effects on 

some annual totals. 

Bankruptcy Courts 

Bankruptcy courts exercise jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases and proceedings, pursuant to statute and by reference from the district 

courts. The Bankruptcy Code is set forth at Title 11 of the U.S. Code, and it provides different chapters under which a debtor may file 

bankruptcy. A key purpose of the Bankruptcy Code is to provide an orderly and equitable process for debtors to resolve their debts 

with creditors. Through the bankruptcy courts, the legal system protects businesses and individual debtors, as well as their creditors, 

as intended by law. Projected caseload and workload through June 30, 2023, is used to determine bankruptcy court support staffing 

requirements in FY 2024. 

Bankruptcy Case Filings 

Bankruptcy filings saw a continued decrease in 2022, due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As shown in Table 4.1 

on page 4.19, filings for the 12-month period ending June 30 decreased by 17.7 percent in 2022. Emergency economic support 

measures (eviction moratoria, direct cash assistance, etc.) put in place to stabilize the economy during the pandemic explain much of 

this decrease in bankruptcy filings. Based on filing trends prior to the pandemic and an analysis of current economic conditions, 

including the expiration of many emergency pandemic relief initiatives, the judiciary currently projects an increase of 17.6 percent in 

2023, for a projected total of 447,600 bankruptcy case filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2023. 

The judiciary remains concerned that the expiration of emergency economic support and the continuing impact of recent inflation may 

result in a significant and rapid increase in bankruptcy filings in the future. Because filing levels drive staffing needs in bankruptcy 

courts, such increases will result in additional workload impacts on bankruptcy courts. A sudden spike in filings may result in courts 

facing challenges in processing these filings. The judiciary will continue to monitor this issue and, if necessary, reflect updated 

projected workload changes in an FY 2024 budget re-estimate. 
4.14

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Cases 

Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code allows for liquidation of a debtor’s nonexempt assets to pay back creditors as much as possible. 

Individuals and business entities (with certain exceptions) may file bankruptcy under Chapter 7. Bankruptcy courts are expected to 

handle 265,300 new chapter 7 cases during the 12-month period ending June 2023, approximately 25,600 (10.7 percent) more cases 

than in the previous year. 

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Cases 

Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code offers businesses the opportunity to reorganize or liquidate in an orderly manner. Individuals also 

may file bankruptcy under Chapter 11, when they are ineligible to file under Chapter 13 due to its debt limitations. In Chapter 11 

cases, bankruptcy courts are directly involved in reviewing and approving complicated business reorganization plans and asset sales 

focusing on the goal of achieving a benefit for all interested parties. Bankruptcy courts are expected to handle 5,400 new Chapter 11 

cases during the 12-month period ending June 2023, which is 21.9 percent higher than the previous year. 

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Cases 

Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code allows individual debtors who have regular income to adjust their debts within a repayment plan. 

Under such a plan, debtors can save their homes from foreclosure by allowing them to catch up on past-due payments. Bankruptcy 

courts are expected to handle 176,500 new Chapter 13 cases during the 12-month period ending June 2023, an increase of 

approximately 29.6 percent from 2022. 

Probation and Pretrial Services Program 

The federal probation and pretrial services program assists the federal courts by protecting the public and promoting the fair 

administration of justice. Probation and pretrial services officers provide the courts with in-depth and objective pretrial services and 

presentence reports. Pretrial services officers investigate defendants and recommend to the judge whether there are conditions that 

would reasonably assure the defendant’s appearance in court and protect the community while the defendant’s case is pending 

disposition, as set forth under 18 U.S.C. § 3142. Probation officers investigate persons convicted of federal crimes and recommend to 

the judge a sentence that addresses the factors set out in 18 U.S.C. § 3553. Courts rely on those reports to make release and 

sentencing decisions, and the reports also notify the litigants of all relevant release and sentencing issues. The presentence reports are 

also used by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to locate assets to be seized for any fines, restitution, or assessments ordered; the Federal 
4.15

Bureau of Prisons (BOP) relies on the presentence reports to guide its handling of offenders sentenced to incarceration; and the U.S. 

Sentencing Commission uses the reports to analyze federal sentencing practices.

Probation and pretrial services officers also support public safety by supervising defendants and persons under supervision living in 

the community. Many persons under post-conviction supervision lack adequate life skills to transition back into the community 

smoothly. Officers help persons under supervision to either re-establish, or secure for the first time, appropriate housing, employment, 

and legitimate community relationships. They provide life skills counseling and leverage programs offered by other federal agencies 

and local social service organizations. Successful supervision requires persons under supervision to overcome not only the original 

factors that contributed to their criminal behavior, but institutionalization, alienation from family and friends, and other consequences 

of a lengthy prison term. Throughout the country, officers secure resources for persons under supervision, cultivate employment 

prospects, and develop collaborative relationships with a wide variety of organizations. All these efforts assist in the transition of 

persons under supervision back into the community.

Where the court deems it appropriate, a client’s location and activities can be monitored electronically through the global positioning 

system and other technologies. Similarly, the court may authorize drug testing, restrict travel, or prohibit association with certain 

individuals. In higher risk cases, courts can order the persons under supervision to undergo polygraph examinations and authorize 

warrantless searches and seizures by probation officers.

Probation and Pretrial Services Workload

Probation and pretrial services officers’ workload is dictated by prosecutions brought by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the number of 

inmates released by the BOP for supervision. Beginning in March 2020 most workload indicators fell due to COVID-19; however, 

with COVID evolving, workload numbers have been rebounding with an increase of 7.8 percent from March 2021 through September 

2022. 

As noted above in the discussion of criminal filings and as shown in Table 4.1 on page 4.19, in the 12-month periods ending June 30, 

2021 and 2022, criminal filings and the number of criminal defendants charged decreased. These criminal matters affect the probation 

and pretrial services program and were impacted by COVID-19. 

Projected caseload and workload through June 30, 2023, is used to determine probation and pretrial services staffing requirements in 

FY 2024. For the 12-month period ending June 30, 2023, the judiciary projects a 15.4 percent increase in pretrial cases activated, a

4.17

The probation and pretrial services system stratifies the risk of recidivism posed by people under supervision. Higher risk clients 

require substantially more supervision than lower risk clients. The probation and pretrial services staffing formula accounts for this 

dynamic by weighing cases by risk level. The highest risk cases are classified as red band, with the risk level decreasing 

incrementally through the remaining color categories to blue band, which represents the lowest risk cases. The 12-month period 

ending June 2019 through the 12-month period ending June 2022 saw a 4.7 percent increase in clients classified as red band, a 19.3

percent increase in clients classified as orange band and a 7.7 percent increase in clients classified as yellow band. Conversely, the 

percentage of offenders with the green band classification declined by 2.7 percent and the percentage of offenders with blue band 

classification declined by 10.1 percent. 

Workload for Probation and Pretrial Services Offices

Successful case investigations and supervision outcomes depend on sufficient resources that can be used for personnel, treatment and 

monitoring services, and training and program implementation. Consistent growth over recent years in cases supervised per officer is 

detrimental to the officer’s ability to support behavioral change and properly monitor the behaviors of those under supervision. Many 

factors influence caseload size, including risk levels, geography, and the need to manage special populations (e.g., location monitoring 

caseloads, sex offenders). The pandemic suppressed workload throughout the probation and pretrial services system but, due to the 

impact of McGirt and legislative changes such as the First Step Act, as well as expected increases as trials and pleas held in abeyance 

during the pandemic move ahead, workload has rebounded. Unless there are sufficient resources to keep pace with workload, officers 

will be assigned larger caseloads and will be unable to provide adequate supervision.2

 

Responding to Department of Justice (DOJ) Priorities

The prosecutorial priorities of the Administration, as implemented by the Department of Justice, include prosecuting threats to 

democratic institutions, domestic and foreign violent extremists, firearms violations, crimes of violence, and cybercrime. The 

complexity and risk profile associated with these prioritized prosecutions are significant, requiring more intense supervision, 

increasing workload for officers, and demanding additional resources. There has always been a correlation between the number of 

prosecutors and the number of cases filed. Accordingly, the courts can expect a steady inflow of new cases as DOJ continues to 

2 The strategy in most districts will be to focus supervision resources on higher risk or special populations and provide less supervision for moderate and lower 

risk individuals. This will likely have an impact on rearrest rates. For example, some districts will need to treat people on supervision who are assessed as 

low/moderate risk - low violence the same as the low-risk/low-violence population; however, the probability that the low/moderate-risk/ low-violence population 

will commit a new crime is 23 percent, while the probability that the low-risk/low-violence population will commit a new crime is only 9 percent.
4.18

pursue new prosecutors through the budget process. Changes in projected workload components of post-conviction supervision and 

pretrial services could change based on the administration’s priorities.
4.19

Table 4.1 Comparison of Judiciary Workload Factors 

Criminal Filings 58,121 67,257 73,012 64,853 59,500 55,220 57,500

Year-to-Year Change: -4.8% 15.7% 8.6% -11.2% -8.3% -7.2% 4.1%

Criminal Defendants Filed 75,235 84,828 90,541 79,122 75,407 69,466 70,100

Year-to-Year Change: -5.9% 12.8% 6.7% -12.6% -4.7% -7.9% 0.9%

Civil Filings ** 271,721 281,202 293,520 421,082 374,250 293,762 278,300

Year-to-Year Change: -6.4% 3.5% 4.4% 43.5% -11.1% -21.5% -5.3%

Appellate Filings 52,028 49,220 47,783 49,044 45,790 42,094 43,200

Year-to-Year Change: -13.4% -5.4% -2.9% 2.6% -6.6% -8.1% 2.6%

Bankruptcy Filings 796,037 775,578 773,361 682,363 462,309 380,634 447,600

Year-to-Year Change: -2.8% -2.6% -0.3% -11.8% -32.2% -17.7% 17.6%

Pretrial Services: Cases Activated 82,265 90,951 98,627 83,839 71,647 67,701 78,100

Year-to-Year Change: -6.7% 10.6% 8.4% -15.0% -14.5% -5.5% 15.4%

Pretrial Services: Persons Under Supervision 43,998 43,997 46,539 46,646 52,915 55,471 54,100

Year-to-Year Change: -3.6% 0.0% 5.8% 0.2% 13.4% 4.8% -2.5%

Probation: Presentence Reports 60,669 60,498 66,622 68,974 47,628 62,829 65,300 

Year-to-Year Change: 1.9% -0.3% 10.1% 3.5% -30.9% 31.9% 3.9%

Probation: Persons Under Supervision 135,947 131,036 128,120 126,875 124,249 124,167 124,800 

Year-to-Year Change: -1.4% -3.6% -2.2% -1.0% -2.1% -0.1% 0.5%

* Both actual and projected workload factors are for 12-month periods ending June 30 each year.

** The actual FY 21, FY 22 and projected FY 23 civil filings include filings related to the multidistrict litigation (MDL) Case 2885 (In RE: 3M Combat Arms 

Earplug Products Liability Litigation) in the Northern District of Florida.

WORKLOAD FACTOR * Actual 2017 Actual 2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Actual 2021 Actual 2022 Projected 2023
4.20

FISCAL YEAR 2023 APPROPRIATIONS 

The judiciary built the FY 2023 budget request for the Salaries and Expenses appropriation on the FY 2022 enacted appropriation. 

The FY 2024 discretionary appropriations request is built on the FY 2023 discretionary enacted level of $5,915.0 million. For bill 

language, the judiciary used the language from P.L. 117-328, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2023. 

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES 

Cybersecurity and IT Modernization Efforts 

The combination of sharp increases in cyberattacks on judiciary IT systems and aging legacy applications critical to court operations 

has created IT vulnerabilities that require additional resources. The judiciary has developed a multi-year Cybersecurity and IT 

Modernization Strategy to address the actions and initiatives necessary to respond to aging critical hardware, applications leveraging 

outdated and potentially insecure software, and overburdened staff. More information on these efforts is available starting on page 

11.6 in the Judiciary Information Technology Fund chapter.

First Step Act of 2018 

In December 2018, the First Step Act (FSA), P.L. 115-391, was enacted. The purposes of this sentencing and corrections reform 

legislation include: 

• Correctional reform, via the establishment of a risk and needs assessment and the creation of a system of earned early release 

credits at the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), 

• Sentencing reform, via changes to penalties for some federal offenses,

• Modifications to compassionate release provisions, and

• The reauthorization of the Second Chance Act of 2007, which established requirements for the BOP to facilitate the reentry of 

inmates back into the community. 

Significant provisions of the FSA have already been implemented and have impacted the workload of the courts. For example, the 

Act made sentence reductions under the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactive which resulted in the release of approximately 2,400 

inmates. BOP was also directed to adjust its calculation of good time credits and to make those adjustments retroactive. As a result of 

this provision, approximately 3,100 inmates were released from BOP custody on July 19, 2019. Another provision authorized inmates 
4.21

to directly petition the courts for compassionate release. Since this provision was enacted, over 25,000 petitions have been submitted 

to the courts and more than 4,200 petitions have been granted.

In January 2022, BOP released final rules on FSA Earned Time Credits. Under the rules, inmates who have earned time credits equal 

to or in excess of their remaining prison sentence are eligible to (1) be moved to residential reentry centers, (2) be placed on prerelease home confinement, or (3) commence supervised release. Implementation of the rules resulted in the immediate release of 

approximately 6,000 individuals to a term of supervised release in January 2022. This unanticipated surge in releases equated to over 

ten percent of the average number of cases received for supervision in a given year. The surge was mainly due to modifications of the 

draft rules which were influenced by the feedback received during the public comment period. This resulted in an increased amount 

of credit inmates were eligible to earn through approved programming and was applied retroactively. As of November 2022, a total 

of 10,635 inmates were released via Earned Time Credits. Due to the changes in the Earned Time Credits rules, the judiciary 

anticipates additional staffing requirements and increased costs in treatment services and reentry services, including transitional 

housing. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and CARES Act resulted in a steady increase in the number of inmates placed on home confinement. In 

addition, the FSA directs BOP to release individuals who have earned sufficient credits into prerelease custody for longer periods of 

time and requires that BOP ensure sufficient prerelease capacity to accommodate all eligible inmates. The probation and pretrial 

services system supervises a portion of these inmates under the Federal Location Monitoring (FLM) program. Under the FLM 

program, a probation officer supervises a person serving a term of imprisonment in the community on home confinement. This 

supervision usually entails the use of location monitoring technology to verify the person’s compliance with their home confinement 

conditions imposed by the BOP. Any violation of these conditions is reported by the probation officer to the BOP. The BOP 

determines the response to any violations. Location monitoring cases are labor intensive. Officers who supervise these cases are on 

call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In FY 2020, probation officers supervised 1,020 FLM cases. During FY 2021, the number 

decreased to 889 and further decreased to 773 in FY 2022. Despite the downward trend, successful FSA implementation requires the 

augmentation of BOP prerelease capacity to ensure all eligible inmates have access to community-based prerelease opportunities. The 

FLM program is an integral component of the capacity building effort. The judiciary anticipates the number of FLM cases will 

increase in concert with the maturity of FSA implementation.
4.22

Judicial Confirmations

The number of filled Article III judgeships has a direct impact on the requirements for the Salaries and Expenses account. This 

account funds all Article III judges and associated costs, except for justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and judges of the U.S. Court of 

Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Court of International Trade (as those courts have stand-alone appropriations). While the 

salaries and benefits of judges are paid from the Salaries and Expenses account’s mandatory requirements, the number of active 

Article III judges impacts this account’s discretionary appropriations requirements for chambers staff, court support staff, and 

associated operating and maintenance costs that are necessarily increased when a new or replacement Article III judge is confirmed. 

Operating and maintenance costs include space, travel, training, courtroom digital audio recording equipment, telephone systems, 

furniture and furnishings, and law books. 

Currently, there are 844 authorized Article III and territorial judgeships. However, not all judgeships are filled at any given time. In 

its annual budget requests, the judiciary makes an assumption regarding the number of expected confirmations each year to help 

determine the number of anticipated filled Article III judgeships. Typically, the judiciary has estimated for budgeting purposes 

between 40 and 45 Article III confirmations each year. However, actual confirmations in recent years have been significantly above 

that level, with 61 confirmations in FY 2018, 81 in FY 2019, 67 in FY 2020, and 69 in FY 2022. The judiciary projects that there 

will be 65 confirmations in FY 2023 and then 45 confirmations in FY 2024 as the number of remaining vacancies declines. (See the 

chart below.)

4.24

Pennsylvania, the ninth project on that CPP list. In addition, $53 million was appropriated for new construction and acquisition of 

facilities that are joint U.S. courthouses and federal buildings in Greenville, Mississippi, and Rutland, Vermont.

The Rutland, Vermont courthouse acquisition was completed in October 2018. The new courthouse annex in Charlotte, North 

Carolina, the new courthouse annex in Savannah, Georgia, and the new courthouse in Greenville, South Carolina, were completed in 

FY 2021. In FY 2022, an additional three new courthouses were completed: Nashville, Tennessee, San Antonio, Texas, and 

Anniston, Alabama. The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Des Moines, Iowa, new courthouse projects are expected to be completed in 

FY 2023, as well as the major renovation project at the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Charlotte, North 

Carolina.

In FY 2018, Congress provided the remaining funding necessary to complete the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania project ($137.2 million), as 

well as funding for two additional projects: Huntsville, Alabama ($110.0 million) and Fort Lauderdale, Florida ($190.1 million).

Both the Huntsville and Fort Lauderdale projects received congressional authorization on February 5, 2019, and are underway 

(construction for Huntsville and design for Fort Lauderdale).

Although the construction of new courthouses and annexes is funded by GSA, the judiciary is responsible for a variety of associated 

infrastructure that is needed to ensure new facilities will be fully functional at the time major construction is completed. Additional 

funding requirements for the judiciary necessary to ensure the full functionality and operations of the new courthouses, comprising 

$4.2 million, is included in the judiciary’s request.

In addition to funding infrastructure costs for new courthouses, the judiciary must also pay higher rent at completed courthouse 

projects that increase the amount of space occupied by the judiciary. As of November 2022, the Charlotte Annex, Savannah Annex, 

Greenville, South Carolina, San Antonio, Texas, Anniston, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee courthouses have been completed and 

tenants have moved in. 

Cost Containment

The Judiciary works to contain costs whenever possible and has implemented a number of major cost-containment initiatives since 

2004. These efforts have achieved significant cost savings and cost avoidance for nearly twenty years and will continue to do so. The 
4.25

overwhelming majority of the Judiciary’s budget relates to personnel and space costs. The Judiciary’s cost-containment initiatives 

have similarly focused on these two areas as they have the greatest impact on long-term savings.

The Judiciary is now exploring lessons learned from operating during the pandemic with the goal of identifying additional efficiencies 

that could be implemented on a longer term or permanent basis.
4.26

FISCAL YEAR 2024 REQUEST

The FY 2024 discretionary appropriation request for the 

Salaries and Expenses account totals $6,381.3 million, 

including $10.9 million for requirements funded from the 

Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund. The judiciary also 

requests $535.3 million for requirements funded from 

mandatory appropriations. The FY 2024 discretionary request 

is a 7.9 percent increase over the FY 2023 enacted 

discretionary appropriation level of $5,915.0 million. 

In addition to appropriated funds, the Salaries and Expenses 

account utilizes other funding sources to offset its 

appropriation requirements, including current year fee 

collections, carryover of fee balances from the prior year, and 

no-year appropriation balances (excluding encumbered 

carryforward). The judiciary projects that these sources of 

non-appropriated funds will total $320.4 million in FY 2024, 

$7.4 million less than the $327.8 million expected to be utilized 

in FY 2023. 

Total Requested Discretionary Appropriation Increases:

$466,230,000

Total Mandatory Appropriation Increases: $34,105,000 

JUSTIFICATION OF CHANGES

The changes in the FY 2024 budget request are divided into 

two sections: adjustments to base and program increases. 

Adjustments to base totaling $424.8 million (84.9 percent of 

the requested change) are for:

• an increase to mandatory appropriations for personnel 

costs for judges and costs associated with an increase in 

filled Article III judgeships, bankruptcy judgeships, and 

Article III judges who have taken or are expected to 

take senior status (+$34.1 million); 

• an increase in personnel costs for Court of Federal 

Claims judges, magistrate judges, chambers staff, and 

other court support staff (+$263.4 million);

• an increase in chambers staff to support filled Article 

III and bankruptcy judgeships and Article III judges 

who have taken or are expected to take senior status, 

and related costs (+$18.9 million); 

• financing adjustment to account for a decrease in nonappropriated sources of funds (+$7.4 million); 

• inflationary and miscellaneous adjustments 

(+$28.9 million);

• an increase for personnel and related costs for the 

Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund 

(+$0.9 million);
4.27

• A net increase for General Services Administration 

(GSA) rent and related costs (+$27.2 million); and 

• a net increase for information technology requirements 

(+$44.1 million). 

Program changes totaling $75.5 million (15.1 percent of the 

requested change) are for: 

• one new full-time magistrate judge and associated staff 

($0.7 million); 

• an increase in court support staffing due to caseload and 

workload changes ($10.0 million); 

• an increase for the national court law clerk program

($2.6 million); 

• an increase for the financial management system 

upgrade ($16.0 million); 

• an increase for an identity access management system

($7.0 million); 

• an increase for additional IT reimbursable positions 

($5.5 million); 

• an increase for additional reimbursable positions in the 

Office of Public Affairs ($0.2 million);

• an increase for an Office 365 upgrade ($7.9 million); 

• an increase for tenant alterations projects required to 

address life and safety issues in the courts ($21.8 

million); 

• an increase for a data integrity, reporting and controls 

program ($3.0 million); and 

• an increase to improve acquisition and procurement 

improvement activities ($0.8 million).

ADJUSTMENTS TO BASE TO MAINTAIN CURRENT 

SERVICES

The following provides information and justification for each 

of the adjustments to base for the Salaries and Expenses 

account. This section is divided into three subsections: judges 

and associated staff, court personnel and programs, and other 

adjustments. 

A. JUDGES AND ASSOCIATED STAFF

1. Pay and benefit cost adjustments 

 a. Proposed 2024 pay adjustment 

Requested Discretionary Increase: $6,348,000

Mandatory Increase: $17,846,000 

The judiciary is assuming federal pay rates will increase by 4.7 

percent for judges in January 2024. The requested increase 

provides for the cost of nine months of the anticipated pay raise 
4.28

in FY 2024, from January 2024 to September 2024. (If the pay 

adjustment included in the President’s FY 2024 budget request 

is different from this 4.7 percent guidance, the judiciary will 

revise this line item in its FY 2024 budget re-estimate.)

 b. Annualization of 2023 pay adjustment 

Requested Discretionary Increase: $1,827,000

Mandatory Increase: $5,137,000 

The requested increase provides for the annualized costs of the 

2023 pay adjustment of 4.1 percent for judges associated with 

the Employment Cost Index (ECI), effective as of January 

2023. The requested increase provides for the cost of three 

months (from October 2023 to December 2023) of the 2023 

pay increase in FY 2024. 

c. Benefits increases

 i. Health benefits 

Requested Discretionary Increase: $329,000

Mandatory Increase: $926,000 

Based on information from the Office of Personnel 

Management, agency health benefit premium contributions are 

projected to increase by an average of 6.6 percent both in 

January 2023 and January 2024. The requested increase 

annualizes the 2023 premium increase and includes a ninemonth provision for the increase anticipated for FY 2024. 

ii. FICA adjustment 

Requested Discretionary Increase: $442,000

Mandatory Increase: $1,272,000 

Based on information from the Social Security Administration, 

employer contributions to the Old Age, Survivor, and 

Disability Insurance (OASDI) portion of the FICA tax will 

increase in 2023. The salary cap for OASDI increased from 

$147,000 to $160,200 in January 2023. The requested amount 

is needed to pay the judiciary’s contribution in FY 2024. 

2. Increase in average number of filled Article III judgeships 

Requested Discretionary Increase: $11,983,000 FTE: 100 

Mandatory Increase: $4,852,000 FTE: 18

In FY 2023, the judiciary anticipates that an average of 778 out 

of the 844 authorized Article III appellate and district 

judgeships will be filled. Based on historical confirmation 

patterns, the judiciary projects 45 Article III judges will be 

confirmed during FY 2024, offset by 38 active judges who take 

senior status or retire. As a result of the anticipated timing of 

these confirmations and departures from active Article III 

status, the FY 2024 request includes funding for 796 Article III 

appellate and district court judgeships, a net increase of 18 FTE 

above FY 2023. 

This request also includes funding for chambers support staff 

(54 law clerks, 17 courtroom deputies, 12 secretaries, and 17 

court reporters) associated with the increase in 18 judges’ FTE. 
4.29

This line item includes $4.9 million for the salaries and 

benefits of judges, $9.9 million for the salaries and benefits of 

supporting staff, and $2.1 million for supporting costs such as 

law books, furniture, travel, supplies, and equipment. 

Table 4.3 Active Article III Judgeship Vacancies and FTEs*

Fiscal 

Year

Authorized 

Article III 

Judgeships

Average 

Vacancies

Avg. Number 

of Active 

Judges

2018 844 140 704

2019 844 125 719

2020 844 77 767

2021 844 65 779

2022 844 64 780

Estimates

2023 844 66 778

2024 844 48 796

* The number of authorized Article III judgeships in this table excludes the 

U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. 

Court of International Trade, but includes territorial courts.

3. Increase in average number of senior judges 

Requested Discretionary Increase: $4,084,000 FTE: 35 

Mandatory Increase: $1,948,000 FTE: 7 

Funding is requested in FY 2024 for a net increase of seven 

senior judge FTE and the associated chambers staff. The 

request includes $1.9 million for the salaries and benefits of 

judges, $4.1 million for the salaries and benefits of supporting 

staff (17 law clerks, 8 secretaries, 5 courtroom deputies, and 5 

court reporters) and approximately $0.3 million for supporting 

costs such as law books, furniture, travel, supplies, and 

equipment. Table 4.4 provides the historical levels of senior 

judges. 

Table 4.4 Article III Senior Judgeship FTEs

2018 563

2019 594

2020 587

2021 580

2022 604

Estimates

2023 608

2024 615

Avg. Number of 

Senior Judges (FTE)

Fiscal 

Year

Under federal law, an Article III judge has three options when 

leaving active service. 28 U.S.C. § 371(a) allows the judge to 

retire from office and receive an annuity for life equal to the 

salary in effect at the date of retirement. 28 U.S.C. § 372(a) 

allows the judge to retire on disability grounds and provides 

that the judge receives the salary of the office for life after 

serving 10 years. 28 U.S.C. § 371(b) allows the judge to take 

senior status and to retain the office but retire from regular 

active service. Senior status allows the judge to continue 

rendering substantial judicial service for a number of years, 

notwithstanding his or her retirement. 

As of October 1, 2022, there were 126 U.S. Court of Appeals 

and U.S. District Court judges eligible to take senior status or 

retire. In FY 2023, the judiciary projects an additional 29 
4.30

judges will become eligible and an additional 39 judges will 

become eligible in FY 2024. For FY 2024, the judiciary 

estimates that 44 active Article III judges will either take senior 

status or retire and 33 senior or retired judges will leave the 

judiciary’s payroll. As a result of the projected timing of these 

actions, the FY 2024 budget request reflects a net increase of 

seven senior judge FTE. 

4. Increase in average number of filled bankruptcy 

judgeships 

Requested Discretionary Increase: $2,790,000 FTE: 23

Mandatory Increase: $2,124,000 FTE: 8

The judiciary projects a total of 335 FTE (including recalled 

bankruptcy judges) for the 345 authorized bankruptcy 

judgeships will be funded in FY 2023. Based on historical 

patterns, the judiciary projects that 8 additional judgeships will 

be filled during FY 2024, increasing the average number of 

filled bankruptcy judgeships to 343 FTE (including recalled 

bankruptcy judges) in FY 2024. This request also funds 14 law 

clerks, 6 courtroom deputies, 2 secretaries, and 1 electronic 

court recorder associated with the increase of 8 bankruptcy 

judge FTE.
4.31

Positions FTE ($000) Positions FTE ($000) Positions FTE ($000) Positions FTE ($000)

167 158 43,870 167 159 46,753

677 619 161,854 677 636 176,905

774 199,713 781 208,950

345 335 95,714 345 343 102,648

16 23 4,862 16 23 5,065

561 585 166,157 562 586 176,608

30 22 7,234 27 22 4,696

1,189 1,886 501,151 1,189 1,919 535,256 607 630 178,253 605 631 186,369

1 Includes territorial judges

2 FTE include recalled bankruptcy judges 

3 FTE include recalled court of federal claims judges.

4 FTE include recalled magistrate judges. 

Table 4.8 Magistrate Judges (Full-Time)

Fiscal 

Year

Authorized Court of Fed. 

Claims Judgeships

Average 

Vacancies

Avg. No. 

Active 

Judges

Fiscal 

Year

Authorized 

Bankruptcy 

Judgeships

Avg. 

Vacancies

Avg. No 

Active 

Judges

Fiscal Year

Authorized 

Magistrate 

Judgeships

FTE

2018 16 11 5 2018 350 23 327 2018 537 535

2019 16 9 7 2019 347 27 320 2019 541 535

2020 16 7 9 2020 347 36 311 2020 547 534

2021 16 3 13 2021 345 35 310 2021 549 542

2022 16 2 14 2022 345 26 319 2022 555 555

Estimates Estimates Estimates

2023 16 0 16 2023 345 19 326 2023 561 585

2024 16 0 16 2024 345 19 326 2024 562 586

Table 4.5 Summary of Judicial Officers

Article III & Bankruptcy Judges (Mandatory Costs) Claims & Magistrate Judges 

FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2023 FY 2024

Table 4.6 U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judges Table 4.7 Bankruptcy Judges (excludes recalled)

Magistrate Judgeships - Part-time4

Total 

Appellate Judgeships

District Judgeships1

Senior/Retired

Bankruptcy Judgeships2

U.S. Court of Federal Claims3

Magistrate Judgeships - Full-time
4.32

B. COURT PERSONNEL AND PROGRAMS 

5. Pay and benefit cost adjustments

 a. Proposed 2024 pay adjustment

Requested Increase: $148,458,000 

The judiciary is assuming federal pay rates will increase by 5.2 

percent in January 2024. The requested increase provides for 

the cost of nine months of the anticipated pay raise in FY 2024, 

from January 2024 to September 2024. (If the pay adjustment 

included in the President’s FY 2024 budget request is different 

from this 5.2 percent, the judiciary will revise this line item in 

its FY 2024 budget re-estimate.)

b. Annualization of 2023 pay adjustment

Requested Increase: $43,279,000

The requested increase provides for the annualized costs of a 

2023 pay adjustment for Employment Cost Index (ECI) and 

locality pay. As a result of the ECI and locality adjustment, 

federal pay rates increased by an average of 4.6 percent, 

effective as of January 2023. The requested increase provides 

for the cost of three months (from October 2023 to December 

2023) of the 2023 pay increase in FY 2024. 

c. Promotions and within-grade increases

Requested Increase: $28,550,000 

The requested increase provides for promotions and withingrade increases for personnel. The salary plan for judicial 

support personnel provides for periodic within-grade increases 

for staff who receive at least a satisfactory performance rating.

d. Benefits increases

 i. Health benefits

Requested Increase: $17,387,000 

Based on information from the Office of Personnel 

Management, health benefit premium contributions are 

projected to increase by an average of 6.6 percent in both 

January 2023 and January 2024. The requested increase 

annualizes the 2023 premium increase and includes a ninemonth provision for the increase anticipated for FY 2024. 

ii. FICA adjustment 

Requested Increase: $1,445,000 

Based on information from the Social Security Administration, 

employer contributions to the Old Age, Survivor, and 

Disability Insurance (OASDI) portion of the FICA tax will 

increase in 2023. The salary cap for OASDI increased from 

$147,000 to $160,200 in January 2023. The requested amount 

is needed to pay the Court’s contribution in FY 2024. 

e. One more compensable day

Requested Decrease: $15,335,000 

There is one more compensable day in FY 2024 than in 
4.33

FY 2023. The requested amount increases personnel 

compensation and benefits associated with one more 

compensable day for biweekly paid employees.

6. Funding necessary to maintain FY 2024 service levels 

due to anticipated decrease in non-appropriated funds

Requested Increase: $7,400,000

In addition to appropriations from Congress, the judiciary 

relies on other funding sources to finance its requirements. 

These non-appropriated funds include current year fee 

collections, carryforward of fee balances from the prior year, 

no-year appropriation balances, and Judiciary Information 

Technology Fund balances. The use of these funds allows the 

judiciary to reduce its appropriations request on a dollar-fordollar basis. This Salaries and Expenses account FY 2024 

discretionary appropriation request of $6.4 billion reflects a 

projected availability of $320.4 million in these nonappropriated funds. Without these funds, the judiciary’s 

request in discretionary appropriations would have totaled 

approximately $6.7 billion.

While the use of these funds benefits the judiciary (and reduces 

the need for appropriated funds), the amounts available 

fluctuate year-to-year due to changes in filing fee collections, 

changes in unobligated balances from prior years, etc. If total 

non-appropriated funds in the budget year exceed the total nonappropriated funds in the prior year, the budget year’s 

appropriations request can be reduced further. However, if 

total non-appropriated funds in the budget year are lower than 

the total non-appropriated funds in the prior year, 

appropriations are needed to replace those lost nonappropriated funds to maintain a current services level of 

obligations. 

The FY 2023 financial plan assumes new fee collections and 

prior-year unencumbered carryforward from FY 2022 totaling 

$327.8 million. The FY 2024 request estimates that fee 

collections and prior-year carryforward will total $320.4 

million, a net decrease of $7.4 million from the $327.8 million 

in non-appropriated funds in FY 2023. This is displayed in 

Table 4.9 below. As a result, the judiciary request includes an 

increase in appropriated funds for FY 2024 due to the lower 

amount of anticipated non-appropriated funds. The judiciary’s 

estimates for non-appropriated funds typically fluctuate during 

the fiscal year. AO staff will update the appropriations 

subcommittee staff on changes in non-appropriated funding 

levels.
4.34

Table 4.9 Non-Appropriated Sources of Funding

FY 2023 FY 2024

Plan Request

Fee Collections 138,236 170,393 32,157

Other Carryforward 189,557 150,000 (39,557)

Total, Non-Appropriated 

Sources of Funding, 

Excluding Encumbered

327,793 320,393 (7,400)

Dollars in Thousands Difference

C. OTHER ADJUSTMENTS

7. Inflationary and miscellaneous adjustments 

Requested Increase: $28,879,000 

Consistent with guidance from the Office of Management and 

Budget, this request of $28.9 million is required to fund 

inflationary increases of 2.4 percent for operating expenses 

such as travel, communications, printing, contractual services, 

supplies and materials, and furniture and equipment. 

8. Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund adjustment 

Requested Increase: $894,000 

The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 

(42 U.S.C. § 300aa) created a special fund to pay judgments 

awarded under the Act. This legislation also created the Office 

of Special Masters within the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to 

hear vaccine injury cases, and further stipulated that up to eight 

special masters may be appointed for this purpose. The special 

masters’ expenditures are reimbursed to the judiciary for 

Vaccine Injury Act cases from a special fund set up under the 

Act.

For FY 2024, the judiciary requests $10.9 million from the 

Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund, an increase of 

$894,000 above the amount assumed to be received from the 

Trust Fund in FY 2023. The increase is due to pay and nonpay inflationary adjustments, and a rent increase as a result of 

rent relief ending in FY 2023, increasing rent for FY 2024. 

9. GSA space rental and related services

Requested Increase: $27,196,000

The judiciary requests a net increase of $27.2 million in 

FY 2024 for GSA rent and related services. This net increase 

is made up of: 

(a) Changes in space/new space (+$9.1 million), 

(b) Building operations and GSA rent (+$21.2 million), 

(c) Tenant improvements (+$31.3 million), 

(d) Space reduction savings (-$1.4 million), and

(e) Non-recurring space adjustments (-$32.9 million). 

a. Changes in space/new space

Requested Increase: $9,057,000

In FY 2024, the judiciary anticipates an increase of $4.6 

million for annualization of new space delivered in FY 2023 

and a $4.5 million net increase for 209,042 useable square feet 

related to projects to be occupied by the courts of appeals, 

district courts, bankruptcy courts, and probation and pretrial 
4.35

services offices based on projected occupancy dates and rental 

rates provided by GSA. Table 4.10 on page 4.39 identifies 

major projects that GSA plans to complete in FY 2024. 

b. Building operations and GSA rent 

Requested Increase: $21,244,000

This request represents a 2.0 percent inflationary increase 

(+$22.3 million) in the cost of GSA space rental and a $1.1 

million decrease in maintenance of facilities occupied by the 

courts in FY 2024. 

c. Tenant improvements

Requested Increase: $31,286,000 

The request includes $31.3 million for build-out and tenant 

improvement projects in FY 2024. Of this amount, $21.0 

million is for chambers and courtroom projects for judges 

taking senior status, replacement judges, and new (additional) 

judges. In addition, $10.3 million is for judiciary-required 

finishes to make the new courthouse in Greenville, MS

operational. 

d. Space reduction 

Requested Decrease: ($1,448,000) 

A net cost savings of $1.0 million is estimated to be achieved 

in FY 2024 due to reductions in court-occupied space and an 

additional savings of $0.45 million due to the release of space 

at the Administrative Office’s Phoenix Data Center. 

 e. Non-recurring space adjustments 

Requested Decrease: ($32,943,000)

A net decrease of $32.9 million is required in FY 2024 for nonrecurring costs associated with tenant alterations, furniture, 

repairs, and miscellaneous space adjustments in FY 2024. 
4.36

Table 4.10 Space to be delivered in FY 2024 - Prospectus projects, displayed in order of GSA estimated delivery dates

City State

Net Rentable 

Square Feet 

to be 

Delivered

Estimated 

Occupancy 

Date

Fiscal Year 

2024 Rent 

Cost New 

Space

Fiscal Year 

2025 

Annualized 

Rent Cost 

Total 

Annual Rent 

Cost

Toledo OH 54,732 12/1/2023 $3,921,417 $784,283 $4,705,701 

Greenville MS 91,990 9/1/2024 $357,318 $3,930,502 $4,287,821 

Huntsville AL 62,320 9/1/2024 $173,359 $1,906,953 $2,080,312 

Total 209,042 $4,452,095 $6,621,739 $11,073,834 
4.37

Table 4.11 GSA Space Rental Increase

Square Feet 

of Space

Avg. Cost per 

Square Ft.*

Amount in 

$000

FY 2023:

 Space occupied at start of year 39,278,950 $1,116,328

 Estimated new space to be delivered in FY 2023 200,332 $2,478

Total, FY 2023 39,479,282 $28.42 $1,118,806

FY 2024 Adjustments:

 Increase for estimated inflation (2.0%) $22,318

 Estimated savings due to reduction in footprint (37,819) ($1,448)

 Annualization of new space assigned in FY 2023 $4,605

 Estimated new space to be delivered in FY 2024 209,042 $4,452

 Tenant Improvement Payment to GSA (Greenville, MS) $10,300

Total, FY 2024 Budget Request 39,650,505 $29.31 $1,159,033

FY 2024 Increase over FY 2023 171,223 $40,227

 *The fiscal year average cost per square foot includes the annualization of rent costs for space added in the succeeding fiscal year.
4.38

10. Information technology requirements

Requested Net Increase: $44,079,000 

The judiciary requests a net increase of $44.1 million in 

FY 2024 for adjustments needed to maintain current/existing 

information technology operations. This net increase is made 

up of: 

(a) Court Administration & Case Management Systems (-

$9.9 million), 

(b) Administration and Management Systems (-$2.4 

million),

(c) IT court support reimbursable program adjustments 

(+1.2 million). 

(d) Telecommunications Program (-$6.0 million),

(e) Infrastructure & Collaboration Tools (+$28.5 million), 

(f) Judicial Statistical & Reporting Systems (-$1.9 

million), 

(g) Court IT Allotments (+$17.5 million), and 

(h) Cybersecurity and IT Modernization Plan ($17.2 

million). 

The FY 2024 JITF request includes a new program component, 

the Cybersecurity and IT Modernization Plan, that was created 

in FY 2023. This new category tracks requirements and 

obligations specifically tied to the judiciary’s multi-year 

cybersecurity and IT modernization plan. Activities from the 

plan previously reported in one of the other categories have 

been moved to the new Cybersecurity and IT Modernization 

Plan category to better track these specific priorities. IT 

Security programs and other modernization requirements that 

were in existence prior to the judiciary’s request for an IT 

cybersecurity/modernization supplemental appropriation and 

are not part of the multi-year plan remain in their program 

component of origin. 

A more detailed description of the items in this request and the 

judiciary’s IT program can be found in section 14 of this 

submission, “Judiciary Information Technology Fund.” Pay 

and benefits and general inflationary adjustments for these 

program areas are included above in line items 5 and 7 on 

pages 4.32 and 4.45.

a. Court Administration and Case Management 

systems

Requested Decrease: ($9,928,000) 

This base adjustment is associated with a decrease of $9.9 

million mostly due to non-recurring PACTS360 development 

costs expected to be obligated in FY 2023. This category 

contains a variety of tools, including Probation and Pretrial 

Automated Tracking System (PACTS) 360, to access critical 

case information and law enforcement databases; systems for 

juror qualification, management, and payment; tools for jury 

participants to communicate with the courts; as well as the 

system that captures requests for payments to private courtappointed counsel and expert service providers. 
4.39

b. Administrative and management systems

Requested Decrease: ($2,415,000) 

A net decrease of $2.4 million is requested to fund minimum 

requirements for maintaining judiciary finance and human 

resources systems, and periodic updates necessitated by legal 

and policy changes. This category includes the judiciary’s 

financial and personnel management systems, as well as 

systems to support and manage space and facilities projects, 

travel expenses, and judiciary web sites. 

c. IT court support reimbursable program 

adjustments

Requested Increase: $1,191,000 

A net increase of $1.2 million is requested for court support 

reimbursable adjustments. The FY 2024 budget request 

includes the continuation of integrating unmet IT 

infrastructure/modernization requirements. Acquiring 

additional funding for IT infrastructure/modernization efforts 

without also obtaining additional positions to provide proper 

management and oversight would result in slow or little 

progress. These services include IT policy and planning 

guidance; architecture and infrastructure support; security 

services; testing, national IT applications; IT training; and 

other administrative and IT support services provided by AO 

staff on behalf of the courts. This request includes $2.9 million 

for the annualization of 15 reimbursable FTE (30 positions) 

funded in the judiciary’s FY 2023 request to support additional 

staffing requirements related to planned cybersecurity 

improvements (27 positions) and PACTS 360 development and 

deployment (3 positions). The positions will be Administrative 

Office staff that are reimbursable from the courts’ Salaries and 

Expenses account. The request also includes a reduction of 

$1.7 million in base adjustments. 

d. Telecommunication program 

Requested Decrease: ($6,009,000)

The base adjustment decreases $6.0 million due to nonrecurring costs associated with the transition from the Networx 

contract to the Enterprise Infrastructure Services (EIS) 

contract. The judiciary’s communications program enables the 

judiciary to operate communications services for the appellate, 

district, and bankruptcy courts and for probation and pretrial 

services offices, as well as to procure communications 

equipment for new courthouses and courthouses undergoing 

major repairs and alteration. 

e. Infrastructure and collaboration tools 

Requested Increase: $28,537,000 

This increase of $28.5 million is requested to build and 

maintain a robust, reliable, and resilient judiciary-wide IT 

infrastructure. Included are the costs of hardware, software, 

and IT security associated with the judiciary’s full enterprise 

hosting and cloud computing services and email and 
4.40

collaboration systems. This category also includes the costs of 

IT infrastructure for new courthouse construction projects and 

operating systems’ support, maintenance, testing, and research. 

continuation of IT security operations, including security 

engineering, awareness, assessment, testing, policy 

development, and vulnerability remediation support; hosting 

services upgrades, cyclical replacements, and maintenance 

renewals; support contract labor price increases; Microsoft 

Information Protection and Governance Services in support of 

data security and governance for Office 365; and backlog of 

standard base requirements not funded by the FY 2023 enacted 

appropriations. 

f. Judicial statistical and reporting systems

Requested Decrease: ($1,943,000)

This decrease includes $1.9 million associated with base 

adjustments due to non-recurring costs related to the 

management and reporting capabilities of the enterprise data 

warehouse. This category includes systems to support 

gathering and reporting statistics in the judiciary; data analysis 

and management reporting across judiciary-wide data sources; 

and planning and decision-making with staffing, financial, and 

workload data. 

g. Court IT Allotments

Requested Increase: $17,456,000

The $17.5 million increase in court IT allotments is requested 

to fund higher requirements for IT infrastructure and 

maintenance expenses paid directly by courts for local 

computer, printer, network equipment and software. Also 

included in this category are costs for local telecommunications 

services, equipment, maintenance, and courtroom technology. 

The FY 2024 request includes funding needed to manage a 

backlog of cyclical replacements of network hardware, 

software licenses, and video conference equipment in these 

areas in FY 2023. 

h. Cybersecurity and IT modernization plan 

Requested Increase: $17,190,000 

The judiciary requests an increase of $17.2 million to fund the 

continuation of IT security operations including security 

engineering, awareness, assessment, testing, policy 

development, and vulnerability remediation support; funding 

for Microsoft Information Protection and Governance Services 

in support of data security and governance for Office 365; 

implementation of software defined wide area network 

technology on the data communications network; continued 

development and implementation for the unified debt 

management system; funding for data communication network 

monitoring operations; and continued development of the 

Online System for Clerkship Application and Review 

(OSCAR), which is an online system for federal law clerk and 

appellate staff attorney hiring. 
4.41

PROGRAM INCREASES

11. New FY 2024 full-time magistrate judge and staff

Requested Increase: $721,000 FTE: 5

The judiciary requests an additional $721,000 for one 

additional full-time magistrate judge position (1.0 FTE), four

support staff positions (4 FTE), and associated operating costs. 

The new full-time position, which will be located in the 

Northern District of Oklahoma, has been accelerated because 

of the critical need for the position. Thus, full-year funding is 

assumed for this magistrate judge position in FY 2024. 

Table 4.12 Cost of Additional Magistrate Judges 

Positions FTE

Total 

Request

New Full-Time Magistrate Judge 

(accelerated) and salary increase 

for one part-time magistrate judge

1 $298,000

Supporting Personnel 4 $345,000

Operating Expenses $78,000

Total 5 $721,000

The Judicial Conference authorizes new magistrate judge 

positions based upon an individualized showing of need by the 

requesting district courts. The Conference takes into account 

all relevant factors in its deliberations on magistrate judge 

position requests, including the number and locations of 

authorized district judges. In evaluating requests for full-time 

magistrate judge positions, the Conference considers the 

comparative need of the district judges for the assistance of 

magistrate judges and the overall workload of the district court; 

the commitment of the court to the effective utilization of 

magistrate judges; and the availability of sufficient work of the 

type that the district judges wish to assign to magistrate judges 

to justify the authorization of additional full-time positions. 

Consideration is also given to the geographical areas and 

population to be served, convenience to the public and bar, the 

rights of criminal defendants to prompt court proceedings, the 

number and extent of federally administered lands in the 

district, transportation and communication facilities, and other 

pertinent local conditions. As an alternative to authorizing 

additional full-time magistrate judge positions, the feasibility 

of using recalled magistrate judges may be explored with 

individual district courts in response to their requests for 

additional magistrate judge positions. 

Based on the criteria described above, in June 2022, the 

Executive Committee authorized, on an expedited basis on 

behalf of the Judicial Conference, one additional full-time 

magistrate judge position with accelerated funding in the 

Northern District of Oklahoma at Tulsa. This authorization is 

directly related to increased workload experienced in the 
4.42

Northern District of Oklahoma because of the McGirt v. 

Oklahoma ruling. 

12. FY 2024 court support staffing due to workload changes 

Requested Increase: $10,052,000 FTE: 99

The judiciary requests a program increase for court support 

staff (198 new positions or 99 FTE) in appellate, district, 

bankruptcy administrators, and probation and pretrial services 

offices in FY 2024 in anticipation of changes in projected 

caseload and workload. Table 4.13 provides a breakdown of 

FTE and funding. To calculate the number of staff needed, the 

judiciary’s request uses the current staffing formulas for each 

court unit type. To determine FY 2024 FTE, projected 

caseload and workload data through June 30, 2023, is used (see 

workload table on p. 4.10). Some staffing formulas use 

caseload data for multiple years, so depending on the formula, 

a single year increase or decrease in workload will not 

necessarily result in a corresponding increase or decrease in 

formula results.

Table 4.13 Fiscal Year 2024 Staffing Changes 

Appellate 13 $1,528 

Bankruptcy Administrators 1 72 

District 50 4,788 

Probation/Pretrial 35 3,664 

Total 99 $10,052 

Program Fiscal Year 

2024 FTE

Dollars in 

Thousands

Court Support Staffing 

FY 24 Workload Increase

13. National Court Law Clerk Program 

Requested Increase: $2,559,000 FTE: 23

The judiciary requests a program increase of $2.6 million for 

the national court law clerk program. The Judicial Conference 

authorized a pilot law clerk program in March 2011 to test the 

proposition that additional law clerks in limited circumstances 

can provide needed relief to district courts experiencing 

significant caseload challenges brought on by rising cases and 

a shortage in Article III judges. After multiple evaluations by 

the Federal Judicial Center and the AO confirming the success 

of the program, the Judicial Conference in 2021 approved 

establishing a national program. The program would allow 

district courts to apply for a court law clerk position under 

three eligibility tracks: a high caseload per judgeship, a low 

judge occupancy rate, and a significant qualitative issue or 
4.43

circumstance (when potentially unquantifiable conditions 

create a burden for the district). A total of 18 law clerks have 

been provided to district courts under this program, and based 

on current eligibility criteria, the judiciary projects needing 

funding for 23 additional law clerk positions in FY 2024. 

14. Judiciary Integrated Financial Management System 

Requested Increase: $16,000,000 

The judiciary requests $16.0 million to fund a major upgrade to 

the Judiciary Integrated Financial Management System 

(JIFMS), the judiciary’s official budget, accounting, and 

procurement system.  The current version of JIFMS 

(Momentum 7.02) is over eight years and ten releases behind 

the current release of the commercial off-the-shelf Momentum 

product. This large gap in updates renders JIFMS 

technologically obsolete, which causes performance 

degradations and poses significant supportability and security 

risks. Due to limited resources and other critical requirements 

related to cybersecurity and high-priority judiciary IT systems, 

the judiciary has not had the funding necessary to upgrade 

JIFMS. The upgrade of JIFMS from version 7.02 (released in 

September 2010) to version 7.9 is critical to address numerous 

audit and security concerns, technical obsolescence of thirdparty support tools, performance concerns, and government 

compliance functionality. 

15. Identity Access Management System (IdAM)

Requested Increase: $7,000,000 

The judiciary requests $7.0 million to fund a multi-year 

initiative to implement a new Identity Access Management 

System. The program increase for IdAM will establish 

standard identity and access management for all national IT 

systems. Judiciary users have multiple logon IDs and 

passwords to access various national systems, making it 

difficult to track users' movements from one system to the next. 

The judiciary’s current IdAM was first implemented in 2007 

and is outdated. The current IdAM system is dependent on the 

payroll system and does not align with industry best practices. 

It lacks critical capabilities and cannot manage a multi-cloud 

environment, drastically hampering efforts to modernize 

infrastructure and applications, increasing security risks, and 

compromising the judiciary’s ability to effectively operate a 

distributed IT environment (an environment where data and 

software processing is distributed to reduce the impact of any 

particular site or hardware failure). Overhauling the IdAM 

system and implementing a cloud-based system capable of 

supporting a multi-cloud environment will enhance the 

judiciary’s security posture, enhance audit capabilities, provide 

services faster, and provide a better user experience. 
4.44

16. Additional positions for IT infrastructure and 

modernization 

Requested Increase: $5,510,000 

The judiciary requests a program increase of $5.5 million and 

58 reimbursable positions (29 reimbursable FTE) necessary for 

the implementation of the multi-year cybersecurity and IT 

modernization plan. These positions will support the 

judiciary’s critical cybersecurity and modernization efforts.

17. Additional positions for Office of Public Affairs

Requested Increase: $207,000 

The judiciary requests a program increase of $207,000 and 2 

reimbursable positions (1 reimbursable FTE) for two web 

development positions in the AO's Office of Public Affairs to 

help support the judiciary’ programs. 

18. Microsoft Office 365 upgrade 

Requested Increase: $7,905,000 

The judiciary requests $7.9 million to implement a multi-year 

initiative to upgrade the judiciary's Microsoft Office 365 

licenses. An upgrade of the judiciary’s enterprise-wide 

Microsoft Office 365 licenses from level Government 3 (G3) to 

G5 provides additional security features such as: (1) Office 365 

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) including prebreach 

prevention, post breach investigation and simulation/training; 

(2) Office 365 Advanced Message Encryption (adds expiration 

and revocation controls); (3) Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and 

information barriers (for Teams); (4) Office 365 Cloud App 

Security; (5) Advanced Data Governance (adds automated 

retention /deleting/labeling, communication supervision); (6) 

Customer Lockbox; (7) Customer Key; (8) Advanced 

eDiscovery (adds analytics); and (9) Advanced Compliance 

(adds privileged access management).

19. Tenant alterations to address life and safety requirements 

Program Increase: $21,796,000

An increase of $21.8 million is required in FY 2024 to fund 

tenant alterations needed to address life and safety 

requirements, including repair and replacements of judges’ 

elevators. There are 15 federal courts as identified by GSA 

that identified elevators that are unsafe, unreliable, and in need 

of critical repair to protect judges and to continue court 

operations without interruption. 

The judiciary is responsible for judges’ elevators per its rent 

agreements. Due to life, safety and security concerns, judges 

should be able to enter and exit the courthouse and chambers 

inconspicuously with access outside of public circulation. This 

access permits a safe escape route in case of an emergency. 

The judges’ elevator repair program develops a national 

inventory of elevators, prioritizes elevators for repair, 

modernization or replacement, as appropriate, and identifies
4.45

those high-priority elevators for which repair is necessary in 

FY 2024 to address life, safety and/or accessibility issues.

20. Judiciary Data Integrity, Reporting, and Controls 

Initiative 

Requested Increase: $3,025,000 

The judiciary requests $3.0 million to implement a multi-year 

initiative to produce an annual consolidated financial statement 

as part of the Judiciary Data Integrity, Reporting and Controls 

(JDIRC) program. This effort is closely aligned with the 

judiciary’s core value of accountability and Goal 2.1b of the 

Strategic Plan for the Federal Judiciary, which is to ensure the 

integrity of funds, information, operations, and programs 

through strengthened internal controls and audit programs. 

The judiciary does not currently prepare an annual consolidated 

financial report that captures all judiciary financial activity or 

funding sources. To address this, the judiciary has implemented 

a multi-year effort to develop consolidated financial statements 

and a more integrated approach to internal controls and data 

governance. This approach will provide a process for officials 

across the judiciary to validate internal controls that are in 

place and operating effectively and to allow mutual reliance on 

controls by both court units, federal public defenders 

organizations, and AO staff (e.g., reliance of a clerk of court on 

the AO Controller and vice versa). These consolidated 

financial statements will be subject to annual independent 

financial statement audits.

21. Acquisition and Procurement Improvement 

Requested Increase: $750,000 

The judiciary requests a program increase of $0.7 million to 

support improvements to the judiciary’s acquisition and 

procurement improvement activities. For the past several 

years, the AO has been working to address issues and 

challenges faced in the judiciary’s acquisitions and 

procurement activities. GAO reviews and congressional 

inquiries, combined with internal audits and reviews, though 

different in purpose and scope, reinforce the need for a 

strategic approach to address the underlying causes of these 

concerns across the entire organization.

The acquisition and procurement improvement strategy

identifies seven key elements for improvement in the AO’s 

acquisitions and contract management program. These include 

1) Integrate Procurement as a strategic partner in AO mission 

delivery; 2) Improve requirements definition and contract 

specificity; 3) Maintain proper employer-employee 

relationships for all contracts, especially time-and-materials 

contracts; 4) Strengthen invoice analysis, documentation, and 

oversight: 5) Expand the contracting officer representative 

program; 6) Develop training for acquisition personnel and 

program staff on subcontracting approval requirements; and 7) 

Improve contracting officer file documentation and 

maintenance.
4.46

The judiciary is requesting $750,000 to implement the action 

plans identified. Resources are required for contractor support 

for this multi-year project. This initiative closely aligns with 

the principles of JDIRC, in that an effective internal control 

structure and compliance with governing documents such as 

the Strategic Plan for the Federal Judiciary and the Strategic 

Direction for the Administrative Office of the United States 

Courts promote increased accountability and transparency into 

the judiciary’s financial management practices.

FINANCING THE FISCAL YEAR 2024 REQUEST

22. Estimated FY 2024 fee collections

Estimated funds available: $170,393,000 

Congress has authorized the judiciary to collect fees for civil 

and bankruptcy filings, as well as fees for a variety of case 

services, including registry account administration and 

miscellaneous court case administration costs. A portion of the 

fees collected by the courts are deposited into a special fund 

maintained by the Treasury Department and may be used to 

reimburse judiciary accounts for expenses incurred. These fees 

are available without fiscal year limitation. 

The judiciary estimates that $170.4 million in revenue from 

these sources will be available in FY 2024 to finance 

requirements in the Salaries and Expenses account, an increase 

of $32.2 million from the $138.2 million estimated to be 

available in FY 2023. Table 4.14 lists offsetting receipts from 

collections by type and displays the actual amounts collected in 

FY 2022, and estimates for FY 2023 and FY 2024 collections. 

The judiciary will continue to monitor filings and other 

collections throughout FY 2023 and will advise appropriations 

subcommittee staffs of changes to these estimates.

Table 4.14 Offsetting Receipts from Collections

Fees

Subtotal, Fees 170,949 145,512 179,361

59,433

3,330

3,000

Type of Collection and 

Source

TOTAL TO SALARIES & 

EXPENSES

Registry Administration 

Fees 948 500

Fee allocation to Admin. 

Office3

FY 2022 

Actual 

Collections 

($000s)

FY 2023 

Estimated 

Collections 

($000)

Bankruptcy Filing and Misc. 

Fees 1

Civil Filing and Misc. 

Fees 2

Central Violations Bureau 

Fees 

Immigration Adjudication 

and Naturalization Fees 3,540

FY 2024 

Estimated 

Collections 

($000)

162,402 138,236 170,393

104,077

65,800

3,330

5,654

-8,547 -7,276 -8,968

76,346

86,704

3,411

500

79,249

1 Includes statutory bankruptcy filing fees and bankruptcy court miscellaneous fees.

2 Includes statutory civil filing fees and appellate court and district court 

miscellaneous fees.

3 Based on Judicial Conference policy, up to five percent of total fees collected may 

be used to support Administrative Office requirements. 
4.47

 

23. Anticipated unencumbered carryforward from FY 2023 

Estimated funds available: $150,000,000

The judiciary estimates that $150.0 million will be available 

through anticipated savings in FY 2023 to carry forward into 

FY 2024 and offset the FY 2024 appropriation request for the 

Salaries and Expenses account. Savings generally become 

available due to delays in GSA space delivery schedules that 

reduce space rental and furniture expenses and unobligated 

funds returned from the nearly 400 court units throughout the 

judiciary. This carryforward balance includes the carryforward 

of fee balances from the prior year, no-year appropriation 

balances, and Judiciary Information Technology Fund 

balances. 

The judiciary will advise appropriations subcommittee staffs of 

changes to this estimate.