COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS, AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

Salaries and Expenses

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT REQUIREMENTS Mandatory Discretionary Total

Fiscal Year 2024 Salaries and Expenses Assumed Appropriation $522,152,000 $6,030,515,000 $6,552,667,000

Fiscal Year 2024 Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund Appropriation $0 $9,975,000 $9,975,000

Total, Fiscal Year 2024 Assumed Appropriation $522,152,000 $6,040,490,000 $6,562,642,000

Fiscal Year 2025 Salaries and Expenses Appropriation Request $550,176,000 $6,414,038,000 $6,964,214,000

Fiscal Year 2025 Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund Appropriation Request $0 $11,764,000 $11,764,000

Total, Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriation Request $550,176,000 $6,425,802,000 $6,975,978,000

Requested Increase from Fiscal Year 2024 Assumed Appropriation $28,024,000 $385,312,000 $413,336,000

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, [$6,030,515,000]$6,414,038,000 (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]$11,764,000 to be 

appropriated from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund.

(H.R. 4664/S. 2309 - Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2024, updated to reflect the judiciary's fiscal year 2024 assumed appropriation)

4.1
Fiscal Year 2025 Resource Requirements:

FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount

 1,879 522,152 25,128 6,694,782 27,007 7,216,934

 - - - (192,409) - (192,409)

 1,879 522,152 25,128 6,502,373 27,007 7,024,525

 Estimated FY 2024 fee collections...................................................................................................... - - - (161,941) - (161,941)

 Carryforward balances from FY 2023 and prior years into FY 2024.................................................................. - - - (299,942) - (299,942)

Fiscal Year 2024 Assumed Appropriation (includes Vaccine Injury Fund)......................................................... 1,879 522,152 25,128 6,040,490 27,007 6,562,642

FISCAL YEAR 2025

Total 

Fiscal Year 2024 Assumed Available Resources (includes Vaccine Injury Fund).................................................

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

Mandatory Discretionary

Fiscal Year 2024 Obligations (includes Vaccine Injury Fund)........................................................................

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

FY 2023 Encumbered Carryforward .........................................................................................................

SUMMARY OF REQUEST 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

4.2
Page

FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount

Fiscal Year 2024 Base Assumed Appropriation (including Vaccine Injury Fund)................................................ 1,879 522,152 25,128 6,040,490 27,007 6,562,642

Adjustments to Base to Maintain Current Services:

A. Judges and Associated Staff

4.26 1. Pay and benefit cost adjustments

4.26 - 5,943 - 2,093 - 8,036

4.26 - 6,135 - 2,028 - 8,163

4.26

4.26 i. Health benefits....................................................................................................... - 757 - 269 - 1,026

4.26 ii. FICA adjustment................................................................................................. - 1,266 - 422 - 1,688

4.26 16 4,305 93 11,923 109 16,228

4.27 16 4,495 81 10,022 97 14,517

4.28 17 5,123 28 2,948 45 8,071

B. Court Personnel and Programs

4.30 5. Pay and benefit cost adjustments

4.30 - - - 49,528 - 49,528

4.30 - - - 57,891 - 57,891

4.30 - - - 28,956 - 28,956

4.30

4.30 i. Health benefits.......................................................................................................... - - - 13,145 - 13,145

4.30 ii. FICA adjustment.................................................................................................... - - - 1,492 - 1,492

4.31

 - - - 122,779 - 122,779

4.32 - - - (75,556) - (75,556)

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

2. Increase in average number of filled active Article III judgeships (16 judge FTE/93 staff FTE).................

 a. Proposed 2025 pay adjustment (1.5% for nine months)...........................................................................

b. Annualization of 2024 pay adjustment (4.6% for three months)..................................................................

Mandatory Total 

7. Reduction to the FY 2025 base due to a decrease in court salary requirements ...................................................

Discretionary

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

6. Funding necessary to maintain FY 2025 service levels due to anticipated

3. Increase in average number of senior judges (16 judge FTE/81 staff FTE)...................................

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

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

 a. Proposed 2025 pay adjustment (2.0% for nine months)...........................................................................

4. Increase in average number of filled bankruptcy judgeships (17 judge FTE/28 staff FTE) ....................................

b. Annualization of 2024 pay adjustment (5.2% for three months)..................................................................

4.3
Page C. Other Adjustments

FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount

4.32 - - - 32,110 - 32,110

4.32 - - - 1,789 - 1,789

4.32

4.32 - - - 10,021 - 10,021

4.33 - - - 15,145 - 15,145

4.33 - - - 40,655 - 40,655

4.33 - - - (1,000) - (1,000)

4.33 - - - (37,916) - (37,916)

4.33 - - - (6,984) - (6,984)

4.36

4.36 - - - 399 - 399

4.37 - - - 17,356 - 17,356

4.37 - - - 5,688 - 5,688

4.37 - - - 13,180 - 13,180

4.37 - - - 3,662 - 3,662

4.38 - - - 4,392 - 4,392

4.38 - - - 13,649 - 13,649

4.38 - - (37,842) - (37,842)

 49 28,024 202 302,244 251 330,268

 1,928 550,176 25,330 6,342,734 27,258 6,892,910

Program Increases:

4.38 147 12,908 147 12,908

4.39 - - 250 26,316 250 26,316

4.39 - - - 20,661 - 20,661

4.40 - - - 401 - 401

4.40 - - - 426 - 426

4.40 - - - 6,256 - 6,256

4.40 - - - 12,000 - 12,000

4.41 19. Financial Management, Audit, and Oversight Enhancement........................................................................ - - - 3,500 - 3,500

4.41 - - - 600 - 600

 - - 396 83,068 396 83,068

 1,928 550,176 25,726 6,425,802 27,654 6,975,978

49 28,024 598 385,312 647 413,336

Financing the Fiscal Year 2025 Request:

 1,928 550,176 25,726 6,425,802 27,654 6,975,978

4.41 - - - 164,104 164,104

4.42 - - - 175,000 - 175,000

 1,928 550,176 25,726 6,764,906 27,654 7,315,082

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

14. Hosting Service Maintenance.............................................................................................

12. FY 2025 court support staffing due to workload changes.............................................................

16 Budget Formulation & Execution System Requirements Development............................................................

17. Cloud Services & Support..........................................................................................................

Total 

8. Inflationary and miscellaneous adjustments.............................................................................................

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

10. GSA space rental and related services

9. Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund adjustment.................................................................................

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

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

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

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

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

11. Information technology requirements .............................................................................................

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

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

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

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

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

13. Additional Probation Staff Associated with Retroactivity of USSC Criminal History Amendment...........................

15. Judiciary Integrated Financial Management System (JIFMS) Court Advisors......................................................

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

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

Mandatory Discretionary

Total Estimated Obligations, Fiscal Year 2025..........................................................................................

21. Estimated FY 2025 fee collections......................................................................................................

22 Anticipated unencumbered carryforward from FY 2024..............................................................................

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

Total Appropriation Request, Fiscal Year 2025..........................................................................................

Total Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriation Request..........................................................................................

Total Appropriation Increase, Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025...............................................................

18. Tenant alteration enhancements to address life and safety requirements............................................................

20. Strategic Workforce Planning Support .................................................................................................

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

f. Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building bond payment.....................................................................

4.4
COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

Salaries and Expenses ($000)

FY 2023 Actuals FY 2024 Assumed Obligations FY 2025 Request

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

Appeals 800,909 16,481 817,390 848,393 86,005 934,398 901,677 45,428 947,105

District 3,021,488 62,177 3,083,665 3,071,125 311,331 3,382,456 3,264,010 164,446 3,428,456

Bankruptcy 820,512 16,885 837,397 861,981 87,382 949,363 916,119 46,155 962,274

Probation/Pretrial 1,742,188 35,851 1,778,039 1,771,168 179,550 1,950,717 1,882,408 94,839 1,977,246

Total Obligations 6,385,096 131,395 6,516,491 6,552,667 664,267 7,216,934 6,964,214 350,868 7,315,082

 Encumbered Carryforward - - - - (192,409) (192,409)

Revised Obligations 6,385,096 131,395 6,516,491 6,552,667 471,858 7,024,525 6,964,214 350,868 7,315,082

Fee Availability (158,465) (158,465) (161,941) (161,941) (164,104) (164,104)

Vaccine Injury Trust Fund (9,975) (9,975) (9,975) (9,975) (11,764) (11,764)

Prior Year Recoveries & Other Adjustments (26,746) (26,746)

Unobligated Balance, Start of Year:

 Encumbered Carryforward (185,035) (185,035)

 Unencumbered Carryforward (243,525) (243,525) (299,942) (299,942) (175,000) (175,000)

Unobligated Balance, End of Year:

 Encumbered Carryforward 192,409 192,409

 Unencumbered Carryforward 299,942 299,942 175,000 175,000

Anticipated Financial Plan Savings (175,000) (175,000)

Appropriation 6,385,096 - 6,385,096 6,552,667 - 6,552,667 6,964,214 - 6,964,214 

Mandatory 480,041 522,152 550,176

Discretionary (Direct) 5,905,055 6,030,515 6,414,038

FY 2023 Actuals FY 2024 Assued Obligations FY 2025 Request

Encumbered Unencumbered Total Encumbered Unencumbered Total Encumbered Unencumbered Total

Start of Year:

 Fee Account (118,553) (232,433) (350,986) (93,343) (273,196) (366,539) - (175,000) (175,000)

 Judiciary Information Technology Fund (55,920) (11,092) (67,012) (91,798) (26,746) (118,544) - - 

 S&E No-Year Funds (10,562) - (10,562) (7,268) - (7,268) - 

 Subtotal (Unobligated Balance) (185,035) (243,525) (428,560) (192,409) (299,942) (492,351) - (175,000) (175,000)

End of Year: - - - - - - - 

 Fee Account 93,343 273,196 366,539 - - - - - - 

 Judiciary Information Technology Fund 91,798 26,746 118,544 - - - - - -

 S&E No-Year Funds 7,268 - 7,268 - - - - - - 

Anticipated Financial Plan Savings1 - - - - 175,000 175,000 - - -

 Subtotal (Unobligated Balance) 192,409 299,942 492,351 - 175,000 175,000 - - -

Carryforward (Unobligated Balance) Analysis ($000)

1

/Anticipated Financial Plan Savings for FY 2024 into FY 2025 ($175 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)

9,860

FY 2023 Actuals FY 2024 Assumed Obligations FY 2025 Request

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

1100 Personnel compensation 2,926,799 60,229 2,987,028 2,976,074 301,695 3,277,769 3,154,349 158,921 3,313,270

1200 Personnel benefits 1,091,473 22,461 1,113,934 1,023,536 103,760 1,127,296 1,168,842 58,888 1,227,730

1300 Benefits for former personnel 7,108 146 7,254 6,908 700 7,608 7,691 388 8,079

2100 Travel 61,420 1,264 62,684 62,031 6,288 68,319 69,073 3,480 72,553

2200 Transportation of Things 4,134 85 4,219 4,188 425 4,613 4,664 235 4,899

2310 Rental payments to GSA 1,050,088 21,609 1,071,697 1,075,947 109,072 1,185,019 1,165,151 58,702 1,223,853

2320 Rental payments to others 34,182 703 34,885 33,557 3,402 36,959 37,366 1,883 39,249

2330 Communications, utilities & misc 34,584 712 35,296 36,202 3,670 39,872 41,533 2,092 43,625

2400 Printing and reproduction 7,137 147 7,284 7,113 721 7,834 7,919 399 8,318

2500 Other services 454,927 9,362 464,289 551,362 55,893 607,255 523,832 26,391 550,223

2600 Supplies and materials 9,521 196 9,717 11,127 1,128 12,255 18,730 944 19,674

3100 Equipment 44,499 916 45,415 56,776 5,756 62,532 56,392 2,841 59,233

9100 Financial transfers 659,224 13,566 672,789 707,846 71,757 779,603 708,673 35,704 744,377

6,385,096 131,395 6,516,491 6,552,667 664,267 7,216,934 6,964,214 350,868 7,315,082

- - - - (192,409) (192,409) - - - 

6,385,096 131,395 6,516,491 6,552,667 471,858 7,024,525 6,964,214 350,868 7,315,082

Total Obligations

 Encumbered Carryforward

Revised Obligations

4.6
FY 2024 Assumed FY 2025 Request

No. of

Authorized 

Judgeships

Compensation 

($000)

No. of

Authorized 

Judgeships

Compensation 

($000)

Circuit Judgeships 167 45,585 167 46,811

District Judgeships 677 169,013 677 181,615

Senior/Retired Judgeships 215,110 221,707

Bankruptcy Judgeships 345 92,445 345 100,044

 Total 1,189 522,152 1,189 550,176

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 2025

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 158 43,125 157 45,585 (6) 1,227 - - 151 46,811 

Senior 125 35,046 133 38,704 2 1,642 - - 136 40,346 

Retired 32 7,835 33 9,387 - 325 - - 33 9,712 

Court Staff

Article III Judges' Staff 1,192 142,850 1,197 151,238 (20) 983 - - 1,177 152,221 

Circuit Executives 295 50,675 336 61,499 - 654 (18) (2,047) 318 60,106 

Clerks Offices 570 73,246 539 78,832 - 839 28 2,696 567 82,367 

Staff and Preargument Attorneys 535 90,247 497 93,917 - 1,000 (6) (875) 491 94,042 

Librarians 200 28,196 213 31,424 - 334 - - 213 31,758 

Bankruptcy Appellate Panels 10 1,607 10 1,877 - 20 1 64 11 1,961

Total Appeals 3,116 472,827 3,115 512,463 (23) 7,023 5 (162) 3,097 519,325 

District

Judges

Article III Judges

Active 613 156,618 621 169,013 21 12,602 - - 642 181,615 

Senior 492 123,101 501 133,789 14 3,853 - - 515 137,642 

Retired 120 26,456 125 33,229 - 777 - - 125 34,006 

Magistrate Judges 568 160,150 565 173,064 - 4,673 - - 565 177,737 

Court of Federal Claims Judges 14 4,565 22 5,081 - 137 22 5,218 

Court Staff

Article III Judges' Staff 2,946 387,264 3,033 416,843 160 13,751 - - 3,193 430,594 

Magistrate Judges' Staff 1,109 165,305 1,123 175,175 - 6,954 - - 1,123 182,129 

Federal Claims Judges' Staff 64 8,221 67 9,039 - 235 - - 67 9,274 

Clerks Offices 5,540 705,236 5,486 751,547 - 18,930 222 22,172 5,708 792,649 

Pro Se and death penalty 471 94,477 483 101,190 - 4,017 - - 483 105,207 

Court Reporters 676 99,811 707 109,472 34 6,363 (14) (1,806) 727 114,029 

Court Interpreters 102 20,201 87 19,462 - 386 2 289 89 20,137

Total District 12,714 1,951,405 12,819 2,096,905 229 72,678 210 20,655 13,259 2,190,238

Bankruptcy 

Judges

Bankruptcy Judges 307 87,860 309 92,445 17 7,599 - - 326 100,044 

Court Staff

Bankruptcy Judges' Staff 620 92,428 638 98,101 28 6,101 - - 666 104,202 

Clerks 2,489 335,840 2,393 328,145 - 5,820 57 5,624 2,450 339,589 

Bankruptcy Administrators 42 6,618 42 6,625 - 263 1 182 43 7,070

Total Bankruptcy 3,459 522,746 3,382 525,316 45 19,783 58 5,806 3,485 550,905 

Probation/Pretrial Services 7,706 1,161,333 7,690 1,260,521 - 6,981 123 12,925 7,813 1,280,427

Total Judges 2,428 644,756 2,466 700,297 49 32,834 - - 2,515 733,131 

Total Chambers 6,402 890,545 6,541 951,587 168 32,041 - - 6,709 983,628 

Total Court Staff 18,165 2,573,010 18,000 2,743,322 34 41,590 396 39,224 18,430 2,824,136

GRAND TOTAL 26,994 4,108,311 27,007 4,395,205 251 106,465 396 39,224 27,654 4,540,895

FY 2023 FY 2024

Assumed Workload Adj.

4.8
COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS AND OTHER JUDICIAL SERVICES

Salaries and Expenses

Relation of Obligations to Outlays ($000)

FY 2023

Actual

FY 2024 

Assumed 

Obligations

FY 2025 

Request

Total Obligations 6,516,491 7,216,934 7,315,082

Obligated balance, start of year 428,560 199,242 141,000

Adjustments to prior-year activity (241,697) (256,660) -

Change in uncollected payments (110,101) - -

Obligated balance, end of year (199,242) (141,000) (175,000)

Total Outlays 6,394,011 7,018,516 7,281,082

Less Offsets (152,888) (124,638) (108,304)

Net Outlays 6,241,123 6,893,878 7,172,778

4.9
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) 2025 appropriations request for the courts’ Salaries and Expenses account totals $6,976.0 million to support the 

operation of the courts. The request includes $550.2 million in mandatory appropriations and $6,425.8 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 2025 request for the Salaries and Expenses account supports the 

operations of the courts at a current services level, as well as program changes in court support staff due to caseload and workload 

estimates; additional probation officers associated with the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) Retroactivity of Criminal 

History Amendment (https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/amendment-process/official-textamendments/202305 Amendments.pdf), new staff for information technology programs and public affairs; a variety of critical 

information technology systems and projects; and tenant alterations projects required for the protection of life and safety within the 

judiciary’s facilities. 

This account makes up approximately 68 percent of the judiciary’s total appropriations request and supports approximately 28,000 

judges and judiciary staff positions in clerk of court and probation and pretrial services offices located throughout the United States in 

636 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).

4.10
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 

cases thoroughly processed through the criminal justice system and by having civil disputes fairly and expeditiously resolved. 

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

the staffing needs of the district courts, as indicated by the staffing formulas, which are based primarily on civil and criminal cases and 

the number of judges supported. Projected caseload and workload through June 30, 2024, is used to determine district court support 

staffing requirements in FY 2025. 

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 4.18, for the 12-month 

period ending June 30, 2023, criminal cases filed decreased by 1.5 percent from the previous year. Filings for criminal defendants 

decreased by 2.6 percent for the same 12-month period. Through June 2024, criminal cases filed are projected to decrease by 3.2 

percent, and criminal defendants charged are projected to decrease by 2.7 percent. Despite these national decreases, however, some 

areas of the country continue to see elevated criminal case activity due to unique local conditions. 

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. 

4.11
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 4.18, for the 12-month period ending June 30, 

2023, civil case filings increased 0.5 percent from the previous year. New civil filings are expected to increase by 14.5 percent in 

2024. In the projections, it is important to note that multidistrict litigation, executive branch policies, and certain economic 

considerations are difficult to model and may cause unusual surges in future values. 

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, 2024, is used to determine appellate court support staffing 

requirements in FY 2025. 

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. 

4.12
Appellate Case Filings

As shown in Table 4.1 on page 4.18, for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2023, the number of appeals filed decreased 3.3 percent 

from the previous year. The judiciary currently projects that appellate case filings will increase by 2.2 percent in 2024. 

Administration initiatives, legislative initiatives, and court decisions can have significant effects on some annual totals. Any effort by 

the executive branch to address the substantial backlog of pending immigration cases (over 1.4 million) will be closely monitored, as 

the implications for the appellate courts could be significant. Also, the end of Title 42 of the Public Health Service Act in May 2023, 

which had depressed the number of criminal immigration defendant filings between 2020 and 2023, could lead to increases in these 

cases for district courts in the short term and later into growth in filings of criminal appeals. 

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, 2024, is used to determine bankruptcy court support staffing 

requirements in FY 2025. 

Bankruptcy Case Filings 

Bankruptcy case filings, particularly consumer filings, declined substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic due to emergency 

economic support measures to stabilize the economy. However, bankruptcy filings increased in FY 2023, and the judiciary expects 

this trend to continue. As shown in Table 4.1 on page 4.18, filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2023, increased by 10.0 

percent compared to the same period in 2022. This is the first year-over-year increase in bankruptcy filings since 2010. Based on 

filing trends prior to the pandemic and an analysis of current economic conditions, the judiciary currently projects a further increase of 

13.0 percent in 2024, for a projected total of 473,300 bankruptcy case filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2024. 

The judiciary remains concerned that economic factors may result in an increase in bankruptcy filings beyond current projections. 

Because filing levels drive staffing needs in bankruptcy courts, a sudden spike in filings may result in courts with inadequate staffing 

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 2025 budget re-estimate. 

4.13
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 276,000 new chapter 7 cases during the 12-month period ending June 2024, approximately 36,875 (15.4 percent) more cases 

than the same period in 2023. 

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 7,800 new chapter 11 cases 

during the 12-month period ending June 2024, which is 30.3 percent higher than the same period in 2023. 

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 189,300 new chapter 13 cases during the 12-month period ending June 2024, an increase of 

approximately 9.2 percent from the same period in 2023. 

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. 

Pretrial Services and Presentence Reports

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 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. 

4.14
Probation officers investigate persons convicted of federal crimes and recommend a sentence that addresses the factors set forth in 

18 U.S.C. § 3553. 

• Courts rely on these reports to make release and sentencing decisions.

• The reports notify the litigants of all relevant release and sentencing issues.

• U.S. Attorneys’ offices use presentence reports to locate assets to be seized for any fines, restitution, or assessments ordered.

• The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) relies on presentence reports to guide its handling of offenders who are sentenced to

prison.

• The U.S. Sentencing Commission uses the reports to analyze federal sentencing practices.

Supervision

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 smoothly transition back into the 

community. Officers help persons under supervision reestablish, or secure for the first time, appropriate housing, employment, and 

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

and local social service organizations.

Successful post-conviction 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 of these efforts assist in the transition of persons under supervision back into the community. 

4.15
Where the court deems it appropriate, a client’s location and activities can be monitored electronically through global positioning 

system (GPS) 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 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. As noted above in the discussion of criminal filings, and as shown in Table 4.1 on page 

4.18, in the 12-month periods ending June 30, 2022 and 2023, criminal filings and the number of criminal defendants who were 

charged decreased.

Projected caseload and workload through June 30, 2024, is used to determine probation and pretrial services staffing requirements in 

FY 2025. For the 12-month period ending June 30, 2024, the judiciary projects: 

• a 3.7 percent decrease in pretrial cases activated;

• a 6.2 percent decrease in pretrial supervision; and

• a 2.1 percent decrease in presentence reports.

In addition, the number of persons under supervision is expected to decrease by 1.2 percent. Note: these projections are independent 

of the impact from the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s recent adoption of two amendments granting retroactive application to the U.S. 

sentencing guidelines that reduce the sentencing range for some offenders, as described further below. 

Projected caseload does not track the risk levels of supervision cases. Accordingly, the projected change in the number of cases does 

not fully represent the expected change in workload requirements, as the staffing formula developed for the Probation and Pretrial 

Services Offices weighs cases by risk level. A greater percentage of cases received for supervision is expected to involve persons who 

pose higher risks, which would mean further increased work requirements. 

Challenges from Factors Affecting Cases Supervised by Officers 

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. A high caseload is detrimental to an officer’s ability to support 

behavioral change and properly monitor the behaviors of those under supervision. Many factors influence caseload size, including: 

4.16
• risk levels;

• geography; and

• the need to manage special populations (e.g., location monitoring caseloads, sex offenders).

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 

2

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

lower risk individuals. This will increase the risk associated with the supervised population and will likely have an impact on rearrest rates. As one example of a 

viable approach, some districts may decide they need to decrease the intensity of supervision for additional groups of “low violence” persons by treating

“low/moderate risk” individuals the same way they now treat those who are considered “low-risk”. However, the probability that an individual in the 

“low/moderate-risk” population will commit a new crime is 23 percent, while the probability someone in the “low-risk” population will commit a new crime is 

only 9 percent.

4.17
Table 4.1 Comparison of Judiciary Workload Factors 

Criminal Filings 58,121 67,257 73,012 64,853 59,500 55,220 54,366 52,600

Year-to-Year Change: -4.8% 15.7% 8.6% -11.2% -8.3% -7.2% -1.5% -3.2%

Filings for Criminal Defendants 75,235 84,828 90,541 79,122 75,407 69,466 67,651 65,800

Year-to-Year Change: -5.9% 12.8% 6.7% -12.6% -4.7% -7.9% -2.6% -2.7%

Civil Filings ** 271,721 281,202 293,520 421,082 374,250 293,762 295,215 337,900

Year-to-Year Change: -6.4% 3.5% 4.4% 43.5% -11.1% -21.5% 0.5% 14.5%

Appellate Filings 52,028 49,220 47,783 49,044 45,790 42,094 40,713 41,600

Year-to-Year Change: -13.4% -5.4% -2.9% 2.6% -6.6% -8.1% -3.3% 2.2%

Bankruptcy Filings 796,037 775,578 773,361 682,363 462,309 380,634 418,724 473,300

Year-to-Year Change: -2.8% -2.6% -0.3% -11.8% -32.2% -17.7% 10.0% 13.0%

Pretrial Services: Cases Activated 82,265 90,951 98,627 83,839 71,647 67,701 68,816 66,300

Year-to-Year Change: -6.7% 10.6% 8.4% -15.0% -14.5% -5.5% 1.6% -3.7%

Pretrial Services: Persons Under Supervision 43,998 43,997 46,539 46,646 52,915 55,471 51,606 48,400

Year-to-Year Change: -3.6% 0.0% 5.8% 0.2% 13.4% 4.8% -7.0% -6.2%

Probation: Presentence Reports 60,669 60,498 66,622 68,974 47,628 62,829 63,126 61,800

Year-to-Year Change: 1.9% -0.3% 10.1% 3.5% -30.9% 31.9% 0.5% -2.1%

Probation: Persons Under Supervision 135,947 131,036 128,120 126,875 124,249 124,167 123,852 123,900

Year-to-Year Change: -1.4% -3.6% -2.2% -1.0% -2.1% -0.1% -0.3% 0.0%

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

WORKLOAD FACTOR * Actual 2017 Actual 2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Actual 2021 Actual 2022 Actual 2023 Projected 2024

4.18
FISCAL YEAR 2024 APPROPRIATIONS 

In the absence of an enacted appropriation, the judiciary built the FY 2025 discretionary budget request for Salaries and Expenses on 

the assumed FY 2024 appropriation of $6,040,490,000, which is based on the mid-point between the House and Senate marks. 

Funding at this level will support onboard staffing levels as well as current space rental, network, cybersecurity, and IT systems 

requirements. However, it is important to note the assumed funding level presents a shortfall of $187 million from the judiciary’s 

FY 2024 conference appeal level. At this level, court units will face significant challenges to add staff where needed to manage 

anticipated workload increases. For bill language, the judiciary used the language from H.R. 4664 and S. 2309 - Financial Services 

and General Government appropriations bills, 2024, which are identical, as the closest approximation of the eventual enacted FY 2024 

appropriations language, updated with the assumed level as described above. 

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

U.S. Sentencing Commission Amendments 

The U.S. Sentencing Commission (Commission) recently adopted, among other changes, an amendment to the compassionate release 

policy statement (which expands the eligibility criteria the court can consider in reducing an inmate’s term of imprisonment) and an 

amendment to the criminal history guidelines (which would lower the imprisonment range under the advisory guidelines system). 

Both of these amendments took effect on November 1, 2023. In addition, the Commission voted to give retroactive application to the 

criminal history amendment, making thousands of inmates eligible for reductions in their terms of imprisonment. Inmates who have 

had their sentences reduced under this amendment became eligible for release starting February 1, 2024. 

Preparations are underway to process and prioritize the significant workload increase that is expected to result from these 

amendments. Retroactive application of the criminal history amendment, in particular, significantly expands the list of extraordinary 

and compelling reasons that a person can seek compassionate release and is expected to result in a substantial increase in: 

• motions for reduction; and

• the number of inmates becoming eligible for immediate release from incarceration.

This increased workload comes at a time when transitional housing is in short supply and probation offices have limited supervision 

staff and budgets. The Commission’s retroactivity report, which was based on an assumed November 1, 2023, effective date, 

4.19
estimated that 18,767 inmates would be eligible for a reduction under the retroactive criminal history amendment. As far as the 

supervision workload and need for transitional housing, the report estimated that: 

• 3,288 inmates would be eligible for immediate release on the effective date; and

• 7,703 inmates would be eligible for release within a year of that date.

Of particular concern, an estimated 85,467 inmates—including any incarcerated offenders who received status points or had no 

criminal history points at sentencing—could potentially seek a reduction under the retroactive amendment. In the FY 2025 request, 

$26.3 million and 250 FTE are included to support this increased workload, which is not otherwise accounted for by the probation 

workload formulas.

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.

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 

4.20

The judiciary’s FY 2025 request includes $16.2 million needed to sustain confirmation-related costs from FY 2024 and to 

accommodate an assumption of 45 additional Article III judge confirmations. The judiciary will update this assumption as part of its 

FY 2025 budget re-estimate process. 

New Courthouse Infrastructure

In FY 2016, Congress provided $948 million in funding to the GSA for the construction of new courthouses, as prioritized by the 

judiciary’s September 2015 Courthouse Project Priorities (CPP) list. These resources fully funded the top eight courthouse projects 

on that CPP, including: Nashville, Tennessee; Toledo, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; Des Moines, Iowa; Greenville, South 

Carolina; Anniston, Alabama; Savannah, Georgia; and San Antonio, Texas. Partial funding was also provided for Harrisburg, 

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. 

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). 

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, new courthouse project was 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. The new courthouses 

in Des Moines, Iowa, and Huntsville, Alabama, as well as the new annex in Toledo, Ohio are expected to be completed in FY 2024. 

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

infrastructure, such as IT-related infrastructure, Audio/Visual infrastructure, telecommunications infrastructure, supplemental HVAC 

and power infrastructure, and most security related infrastructure that is needed to ensure new facilities will be fully functional at the 

time major construction is completed. Funding requirements for the judiciary necessary to ensure the full functionality and operations 

of the new courthouses, comprising $3.4 million, is included in the judiciary’s request. 

Life and Safety Facilities Requirements 

GSA identified 15 federal courts with non-public elevators that are unsafe, unreliable, and in need of critical repair to protect judges 

4.22
and to continue court operations without interruption. Funding is necessary to support the highest priority elevator repairs,

replacements, or modernizations to address life-safety or accessibility issues. The FY 2025 request includes $10 million for this

effort. Additionally, $2 million is requested for the purchase, maintenance and deployment of medical devices needed to provide lifesaving assistance in case of an emergency or disaster at federal court facilities throughout the country. Inspections conducted in 2023 

show many of the existing emergency medical support devices need maintenance and/or replacement.

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 

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. 

In 2023, the judiciary engaged in an effort to increase the capacity for court units to lead local process improvement projects. In

January 2023, a pilot Court Process Improvement (CPI) program, brought together highly qualified senior- and mid-level court staff

from bankruptcy court clerk’s offices, district court clerk’s offices, appellate clerk’s offices, and circuit executive offices to focus on 

implementing operational efficiencies. One of the projects involved a court reevaluating its case intake process and identifying a 

savings of $60,000 annually by adjusting work among existing staff. Another court was able to reduce its costs for processing cases

by streamlining its case management practices, leading to an almost 50 percent reduction in case processing time while improving 

performance and public service.

Following the success of the pilot program, the national CPI program was launched in September 2023 as a court-led national 

initiative to implement process improvement practices across the judiciary that will equip court units with tools and resources to 

identify and eliminate waste and excess costs and to increase operational effectiveness. The CPI Program focuses on training and 

educating court staff on process improvement methods, providing complementary consultative services to support court process 

improvement efforts, and serving as a national clearinghouse for sharing resources and successful improvement projects with courts 

across the country. Through participation in the CPI Program, employees across the judiciary have an opportunity to improve their

work through projects that address a local need while also developing improved processes that can then be applied to other court units 

across the country. 

4.23
 FISCAL YEAR 2025 REQUEST 

The FY 2025 discretionary appropriation request for the 

Salaries and Expenses account totals $6,425.8 million,

including $11.8 million for requirements funded from the 

Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund. The judiciary also 

requests $550.2 million for requirements funded from 

mandatory appropriations. The FY 2025 discretionary request 

is a 6.4 percent increase over the FY 2024 assumed 

discretionary appropriation level of $6,040.5 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 $339.1 million in FY 2025, 

$122.8 million less than the $461.9 million expected to be 

utilized in FY 2024. 

Total Requested Discretionary Appropriation Increases:

$385,312,000

Total Mandatory Appropriation Increases: $28,024,000 

JUSTIFICATION OF CHANGES

The changes in the FY 2025 budget request are divided into 

two sections: adjustments to base and program increases. 

Adjustments to base totaling $330.3 million (79.9 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 (+$28.0 million);

• an increase in personnel costs for Court of Federal

Claims judges, magistrate judges, chambers staff, and

other court support staff (+$155.8 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 (+$24.9 million);

• a financing adjustment to account for a decrease in nonappropriated sources of funds (+$122.8 million);

• a base reduction to court salary requirements (-$75.6

million);

• inflationary and miscellaneous adjustments (+$32.1

million);

4.24
• an increase for personnel and related costs for the

Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund

(+$1.8 million);

• A net increase for General Services Administration

(GSA) rent and related costs (+$19.9 million); and

• a net increase for information technology requirements

(+$20.5 million).

Program changes totaling $83.1 million (20.1 percent of the 

requested change) are for: 

• an increase in court support staffing due to caseload and

workload changes (+$12.9 million);

• an increase for additional probation/pretrial staff related

to the increase in workload associated with

implementing the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s

August 2023 action granting the retroactive application

of amendments to the U.S. sentencing guidelines that

reduce the sentencing range for some offenders (+$26.3

million);

• an increase for hosting service maintenance (+$20.7

million);

• an increase for Judiciary Integrated Financial

Management System Court Advisors (+$0.4 million);

• an increase for a Budget Formulation and Execution

System (+$0.4 million);

• an increase for additional Cloud Services and Support

(+$6.3 million);

• an increase for tenant alterations projects required to

address life and safety issues in the courts (+$12.0

million);

• an increase for Financial Management, Audit, and

Oversight enhancements (+$3.5 million); and

• an increase for contractor support for the Strategic

Workforce Planning Branch (+$0.6 million).

ADJUSTMENTS TO BASE TO MAINTAIN CURRENT 

SERVICES

The following provides information and justification for each 

of the adjustments to base for the courts’ 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 2025 pay adjustment

4.25
Requested Discretionary Increase: $2,093,000

Mandatory Increase: $5,943,000 

The judiciary is assuming federal pay rates will increase by 1.5 

percent for judges in January 2025. The requested increase 

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

in FY 2025, from January 2025 to September 2025. (If the pay 

adjustment included in the President’s FY 2025 budget request 

is different from this 1.5 percent guidance, the judiciary will 

revise this line item in its FY 2025 budget re-estimate.)

b. Annualization of 2024 pay adjustment

Requested Discretionary Increase: $2,028,000

Mandatory Increase: $6,135,000 

The requested increase provides for the annualized costs of the 

2024 pay adjustment of 4.6 percent for judges associated with 

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

2024. The requested increase provides for the cost of three 

months (from October 2024 to December 2024) of the 2024 

pay increase in FY 2025. 

c. Benefits increases

i. Health benefits

Requested Discretionary Increase: $269,000

Mandatory Increase: $757,000 

Based on information from the Office of Personnel 

Management, agency health benefit premium contributions are 

projected to increase by an average of 5.0 percent both in 

January 2024 and January 2025. The requested increase 

annualizes the 2024 premium increase and includes a ninemonth provision for the increase anticipated for FY 2025. 

ii. FICA adjustment

Requested Discretionary Increase: $422,000

Mandatory Increase: $1,266,000 

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 2024. The salary cap for OASDI increased from 

$160,200 to $168,600 in January 2024. The requested amount 

is needed to pay the judiciary’s contribution in FY 2025. 

2. Increase in average number of filled active Article III

judgeships

Requested Discretionary Increase: $11,923,000 FTE: 93 

Mandatory Increase: $4,305,000 FTE: 16 

In FY 2024, the judiciary anticipates that an average of 776 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 

4.26
confirmed during FY 2025, offset by 41 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 2025 request includes funding for 792 Article III 

appellate and district court judgeships, a net increase of 16 FTE 

above FY 2024. 

This request also includes funding for chambers support staff 

(42 law clerks, 21 courtroom deputies, 9 secretaries, and 21 

court reporters) associated with the increase in 16 judges’ FTE. 

This line item includes $4.3 million for the salaries and

benefits of judges, $10.0 million for the salaries and benefits of 

supporting staff, and $1.9 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

2019 844 125 719

2020 844 77 767

2021 844 65 779

2022 844 64 780

2023 844 74 770

Estimates

2024 844 68 776

2025 844 52 792

* 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: $10,022,000 FTE: 81 

Mandatory Increase: $4,495,000 FTE: 16 

Funding is requested in FY 2025 for a net increase of 16 senior 

judge FTE and the associated chambers staff. The request 

includes $4.5 million for the salaries and benefits of judges, 

$10.0 million for the salaries and benefits of supporting staff 

(36 law clerks, 18 secretaries, 14 courtroom deputies, and 13 

court reporters) and approximately $1.0 million for supporting 

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

equipment. Table 4.4 provides the historical levels of senior 

judges. 

4.27
Table 4.4 Article III Senior Judgeship FTEs

Fiscal 

Year

Avg. Number of 

Senior Judges (FTE)

2019 594 

2020 587 

2021 580 

2022 604 

2023 601 

Estimates

2024 604 

2025 620 

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, 2023, there were 127 U.S. Court of Appeals 

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

retire. In FY 2024, the judiciary projects an additional 37 

judges will become eligible and an additional 35 judges will 

become eligible in FY 2025. For FY 2025, the judiciary 

estimates that 41 active Article III judges will either take senior 

status or retire and 36 senior or retired judges will leave the 

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

actions, the FY 2025 budget request reflects a net increase of 

16 senior judge FTE. 

4. Increase in average number of filled bankruptcy

judgeships

Requested Discretionary Increase: $2,948,000 FTE: 28 

Mandatory Increase: $5,123,000 FTE: 17

The judiciary projects a total of 309 FTE (including recalled 

bankruptcy judges) for the 345 authorized bankruptcy 

judgeships will be funded in FY 2024. Based on historical 

patterns, the judiciary projects that 17 additional judgeships 

will be filled during FY 2025, increasing the average number 

of filled bankruptcy judgeships to 326 FTE (including recalled 

bankruptcy judges) in FY 2025. This request also funds 14 law 

clerks, 9 courtroom deputies, and 5 secretaries associated with 

the increase of 17 bankruptcy judge FTE. 

4.28
Positions FTE ($000) Positions FTE ($000) Positions FTE ($000) Positions FTE ($000)

167 157 45,585 167 148 46,811

677 617 169,033 677 640 181,615

767 215,110 763 221,707

345 309 92,455 345 326 100,044

16 15 5,081 16 14 5,218

561 530 171,201 562 530 175,190

30 20 1,870 27 21 2,130

1,189 1,850 522,183 1,189 1,877 550,177 607 565 178,152 605 565 182,538

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

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

2023 16 14 2023 345 43 302 2023 561 547

Estimates Estimates Estimates

2024 16 0 14 2024 345 42 303 2024 562 543

2025 16 2 14 2025 345 25 320 2025 562 540

Table 4.5 Summary of Judicial Officers

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

FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2024 FY 2025

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

4.29
B. COURT PERSONNEL AND PROGRAMS

5. Pay and benefit cost adjustments

a. Proposed 2025 pay adjustment

Requested Increase: $49,528,000 

The judiciary is assuming federal pay rates will increase by 2.0 

percent in January 2025. The requested increase provides for 

the cost of nine months of the anticipated pay raise in FY 2025, 

from January 2025 to September 2025. (If the pay adjustment 

included in the President’s FY 2025 budget request is different 

from this 2.0 percent, the judiciary will revise this line item in 

its FY 2025 budget re-estimate.)

b. Annualization of 2024 pay adjustment

Requested Increase: $57,891,000

The requested increase provides for the annualized costs of a 

2024 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 5.2 percent, 

effective as of January 2024. The requested increase provides 

for the cost of three months (from October 2024 to December 

2024) of the 2024 pay increase in FY 2025. 

c. Promotions and within-grade increases

Requested Increase: $28,956,000 

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: $13,145,000 

Based on information from the Office of Personnel 

Management, health benefit premium contributions are 

projected to increase by an average of 5.0 percent in both 

January 2024 and January 2025. The requested increase 

annualizes the 2024 premium increase and includes a ninemonth provision for the increase anticipated for FY 2025. 

ii. FICA adjustment

Requested Increase: $1,492,000 

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 2024. The salary cap for OASDI increased from 

$160,200 to $168,600 in January 2024. The requested amount 

is needed to pay the courts’ contributions in FY 2025. 

4.30
6. Funding necessary to maintain FY 2025 service levels

due to anticipated decrease in non-appropriated funds

Requested Increase: $122,779,000 

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 2025 

discretionary appropriation request of $6.3 billion reflects a 

projected availability of $339.1 million in these nonappropriated funds. Without these funds, the judiciary’s 

request in discretionary appropriations would have totaled 

approximately $6.6 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 2024 assumed level assumes new fee collections and 

prior-year unencumbered carryforward from FY 2023 totaling 

$461.9 million. The FY 2025 request estimates that fee 

collections and prior-year carryforward will total $339.1 

million, a net decrease of $122.8 million from the $461.9 

million in non-appropriated funds in FY 2024. This is 

displayed in Table 4.9 below. As a result, the judiciary’s

request includes an increase in appropriated funds for FY 2025 

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 nonappropriated funding levels. 

Table 4.9 Non-Appropriated Sources of Funding

FY 2024 FY 2025

Plan Request

Fee Collections 161,941 164,104 2,163

Other Carryforward 299,942 175,000 (124,942)

Total, Non-Appropriated 

Sources of Funding, 

Excluding Encumbered

461,883 339,104 (122,779)

Dollars in Thousands Difference

4.31
7. Reduction to base due to decrease in court salary

requirements

Requested Decrease: ($75,556,000) 

The judiciary is requesting a decrease of $75.6 million 

associated with periodic re-assessments of courts needs that 

reduce base requirements for court salaries. 

C. OTHER ADJUSTMENTS

8. Inflationary and miscellaneous adjustments

Requested Increase: $32,110,000 

Consistent with guidance from the Office of Management and 

Budget, this request of $34.1 million is required to fund 

inflationary increases of 2.2 percent for operating expenses 

such as travel, communications, printing, contractual services, 

supplies and materials, and furniture and equipment. 

9. Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund adjustment

Requested Increase: $1,789,000 

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 2025, the judiciary requests $11.8 million from the 

Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund, an increase of $1.8 

million above the $10.0 million assumed to be received from 

the Trust Fund in FY 2024. The increase is due to pay and 

non-pay inflationary adjustments, and a rent increase as a result 

of rent relief that ended in FY 2023, increasing rent for FY 

2024 and FY 2025. 

10. GSA space rental and related services

Requested Increase: $19,921,000

The judiciary requests a net increase of $19.9 million in 

FY 2025 for GSA rent and related services. This net increase 

is comprised of: 

(a) Changes in space/new space (+$10.0 million),

(b) Building operations and GSA rent (+$15.1 million),

(c) Tenant improvements (+$40.7 million),

(d) Space reduction savings (-$1.0 million),

(e) Non-recurring space adjustments (-$37.9 million), and

(f) TMFJB bond payment (-$7.0 million).

a. Changes in space/new space

Requested Increase: $10,021,000

In FY 2025, the judiciary anticipates an increase of $6.8 

million for annualization of new space delivered in FY 2024 

and a $3.2 million net increase for 91,990 useable square feet 

4.32
related to projects to be occupied by the courts of appeals, 

district courts, bankruptcy courts, and probation and pretrial 

services offices based on projected occupancy dates and rental 

rates provided by GSA. Table 4.11 on page 4.36 identifies

major project that GSA plans to complete in FY 2025. 

b. Building operations and GSA rent

Requested Increase: $15,145,000

This request represents a 2.0 percent inflationary increase 

(+$23.2 million) in the cost of GSA space rental partially offset 

by a reduction (-$8.0 million) for estimated space requirements

occupied by the courts in FY 2025. 

c. Tenant improvements

Requested Increase: $40,655,000 

The request includes $40.7 million for build-out and tenant 

improvement projects in FY 2025. Of this amount, $25.6 

million is for chambers and courtroom projects for judges 

taking senior status, replacement judges, and new judges. $5.8 

million is for circuit judicial councils' tenant alterations 

improvement projects, including repairs and replacements of 

tenant equipment and fixtures as well as tenant finishes. In 

addition, $9.3 million is for tenant improvements for the new 

courthouse in Savannah, GA.

d. Space reduction

Requested Decrease: ($1,000,000) 

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

in FY 2025 due to reductions in court-occupied space.

e. Non-recurring space adjustments

Requested Decrease: ($37,916,000)

A net decrease of -$37.9 million is required in FY 2025, for 

non-recurring costs associated with tenant alterations, furniture, 

repairs, and miscellaneous space adjustments in FY 2025. 

f. TMFJB bond payment

Requested Decrease: ($6,984,000) 

A net decrease of $7.0 million is required in FY 2025. Since 

1994, the Judiciary has made semi-annual bond payments on 

the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building (TMFJB). 

The last semi-annual bond payment of $8.6 million ($17.2 

million annually) for the building is due August 2024, at which 

point fee simple title is transferred back to the government 

without any further action required. While the bond payment 

requirement will no longer exist, the FY 2025 budget proposes 

to non-recur $7.0 million of the bond payment funding while 

retaining approximately $10.0 million to use for deferred 

building maintenance projects, major capital projects, and 

upkeep that will help to maintain operations of the 

TMFJB. Unlike other judiciary buildings throughout the 

country, whose maintenance is managed by the General 

Services Administration (GSA), the TMFJB is managed by the 

Architect of the Capitol (AOC).

4.33
Table 4.11 Space to be delivered in FY 2025 - Prospectus projects

City State

Net Rentable 

Square Feet 

to be 

Delivered

Estimated 

Occupancy 

Date

Fiscal Year 2025 

Rent Cost New 

Space

Fiscal Year 2026 

Annualization of 

Rent Cost 

Total 

Annual Rent 

Cost

Greenville MS 91,990 1/1/2025 $3,215,866 $1,071,955 $4,287,821 

Total 91,990 $3,215,866 $1,071,955 $4,287,821

4.34
Table 4.12 GSA Space Rental Increase

Square 

Feet of 

Space

Avg. Cost 

per Square 

Ft.*

Amount in 

$000

FY 2024:

 Space occupied at start of year 39,958,071 $1,146,203

 Estimated new space to be delivered in FY 2024 146,849 $4,794

Total, FY 2024 40,104,920 $28.70 $1,150,997

FY 2025 Adjustments:

 Increase for estimated inflation (2.0%) $23,181

 Estimated savings due to reduction in footprint (25,000) ($1,000)

 Annualization of new space assigned in FY 2024 $6,805

 Estimated new space to be delivered in FY 2025 91,990 $3,216

 Tenant Improvement Payment to GSA (Savannah, GA) $9,270

Total, FY 2025 Budget Request 40,171,910 $29.68 $1,192,469

FY 2025 Increase over FY 2024 66,990 $41,472

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

4.35
11. Information technology requirements

Requested Net Increase: $20,484,000 

The judiciary requests a net increase of $20.5 million in 

FY 2025 for adjustments needed to maintain current/existing 

information technology operations. This net increase is made 

up of: 

(a) Court Administration & Case Management Systems

(+$0.4 million),

(b) Administration and Management Systems (+$17.4

million),

(c) IT court support reimbursable program adjustments

(+$5.7 million).

(d) Telecommunications Program (+$13.2 million),

(e) Infrastructure & Collaboration Tools (+$3.7 million),

(f) Judicial Statistical & Reporting Systems (+$4.4

million),

(g) Court IT Allotments (+$13.6 million), and

(h) Cybersecurity and IT Modernization Plan (-$37.8

million).

The FY 2025 JITF request includes the Cybersecurity and IT 

Modernization Plan, which was created in FY 2023. This 

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 

Cybersecurity and IT Modernization Plan category to better 

track these specific priorities. IT Security programs and other 

modernization requirements that existed before the judiciary’s 

request for an IT cybersecurity/modernization supplemental 

appropriation and are not part of the multi-year plan remain in 

their original program component. 

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 8 on 

pages 4.32 and 4.34.

a. Court Administration and Case Management

systems

Requested Increase: $399,000 

This base adjustment is associated with an increase of $0.4 

million mostly due to the modernization of probation and 

pretrial applications previously not subsumed into the 

modernized Probation and Pretrial Automated Tracking System 

(PACTS) 360. PACTS 360 is an initiative that will assist 

probation and pretrial staff at the courts with the fair

administration of justice and protection of our communities. It

will provide staff with secure access to key 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 means to

accurately capture requests for payments to private courtappointed counsel and expert service providers. 

4.36
b. Administrative and management systems

Requested Increase: $17,356,000 

A net increase of $17.4 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: $5,688,000 

A net increase of $5.7 million is requested for court support 

reimbursable adjustments. The FY 2025 budget continues to 

integrate unmet IT infrastructure/modernization requirements 

into the judiciary’s request. 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 funding for the annualization of 15 

reimbursable FTE (30 positions funded for six months) 

assumed to be funded in the judiciary’s FY 2024 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. 

d. Telecommunication program

Requested Increase: $13,180,000

This base adjustment increase of $13.2 million is due to 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: $3,662,000 

This base adjustment increase of $3.7 million will fund Office 

365 engineering support, rising contract costs and the 

maintenance of the incident and service request management 

system. 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 collaboration 

systems. This category also includes the costs of IT 

infrastructure for new courthouse construction projects and 

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

4.37
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; and a backlog 

of standard base requirements. 

f. Judicial statistical and reporting systems

Requested Increase: $4,392,000

This increase of $4.4 million is associated with base 

adjustments 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: $13,649,000

The $13.6 million increase in court IT allotments is requested 

to fund higher requirements for IT infrastructure and 

maintenance expenses paid directly by courts for local 

computers, printers, network equipment and software, and an 

adjustment due to the refresh of the IT portion of the aggregate 

allotment. Also included in this category are costs for local 

telecommunications services, equipment, maintenance, and 

courtroom technology. The FY 2025 request includes funding 

needed to manage a backlog of cyclical replacements of 

network hardware, software licenses, and video conference 

equipment. 

h. Cybersecurity and IT modernization plan

Requested Decrease: ($37,842,000) 

The judiciary requests a decrease of $37.8 million associated 

with non-recurring base adjustments to the activities identified 

in its multi-year cybersecurity and IT modernization plan. 

These activities include 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. 

PROGRAM INCREASES

12. FY 2025 court support staffing due to workload changes

Requested Increase: $12,908,000 FTE: 147 

The judiciary requests a program increase for court support 

staff (294 new positions or 147 FTE) in appellate, district, 

4.38
bankruptcy, and probation and pretrial services offices in FY 

2025 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 2025 FTE, projected 

caseload and workload data through June 30, 2024, is used (see 

workload table on p. 4.18). 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 2025 Staffing Changes 

Appellate 5 ($162)

Bankruptcy 59 5,806 

District 210 20,655 

Probation/Pretrial -127 (13,391)

Total 147 $12,908 

Program Fiscal Year 

2025 FTE

Dollars in 

Thousands

Court Support Staffing

FY 25 Workload Increase

13. Additional probation staff associated with retroactivity of

the United States Sentencing Commission’s Criminal History

Amendment

Requested Increase: $26,316,000 FTE: 250 

The judiciary requests a program increase of $26.3 million for 

250 probation office FTE to handle the increase in workload 

associated with implementing the U.S. Sentencing 

Commission’s August 2023 action granting the retroactive 

application of amendments to the U.S. sentencing guidelines 

that reduce the sentencing range for some offenders. It is 

important to note that this workload is in addition to the work 

projections used to calculate the current services and FY 2025 

workload adjustment staffing level needed for probation

services. This request covers the full year cost of the positions 

assuming the new workload will begin sometime during FY 

2024. These positions are necessary to carefully evaluate 

motions for sentence reductions -- which includes conducting 

additional fact finding and drafting new sentencing reports --

and to minimize the threat to community safety raised by the 

subsequent release of qualifying inmates without adequate 

planning and supervision resources. Per the U.S. Sentencing 

Commission’s impact analysis, approximately 18,700 inmates 

will be eligible to request a reduction in sentence, of which 

approximately 7,500 inmates could be eligible for release from 

prison during FY 2024. 

14. Hosting Services Maintenance

Requested Increase: $20,661,000 

The judiciary requests $20.7 million to fund additional 

maintenance agreements, hardware, and software for hosting 

services for the judiciary at its two internet data centers. 

Funding supports cyclically replacing devices and procuring 

4.39
new equipment to fulfill new system requirements. In addition, 

software licensing is required to support disaster recovery and 

accommodate an overall increase in servers and storage. Also, 

maintenance agreements are required to support computing and 

storage devices. Though the judiciary continues to work on 

transitioning IT systems to the cloud, physical data centers 

continue to host the majority of judiciary IT systems and 

software at this point and require continued investment to 

remain operational.

15. Judiciary Integrated Financial Management System

(JIFMS) Court Advisors

Requested Increase: $401,000

To support the Judiciary Integrated Financial Management 

System (JIFMS) upgrade effort, the AO is actively recruiting 

four temporary duty court financial management specialists, 

known as JIFMS Advisors. These advisors will play a crucial 

role in gathering requirements, configuring the system, 

planning, providing training, testing, and overseeing the 

implementation of the JIFMS upgrade. Leveraging their 

extensive court experience throughout the judiciary, these 

advisors will contribute their expert knowledge to the planning 

and development cycle, providing necessary court input for 

ensuring a successful upgrade and implementation process. 

16. Budget Formulation and Execution System

Requirements Development

Requested Increase: $426,000

The judiciary requests a program increase of $0.4 million to

begin requirements gathering for the future development of a 

judiciary budget formulation and execution system ($0.4 

million). This system will enable integrated development, 

analysis, justification, and presentation of the judiciary’s 

national budget request and enactment of the national financial 

plan. 

17. Cloud Services and Support

Requested Increase: $6,256,000

The judiciary requests a program increase of $6.3 million to 

support the engineering and integration of a private cloud 

solution that is based on existing private cloud architecture and 

cloud native services and tools that would be needed to achieve 

like functionality to services currently provided within the 

judiciary internet data centers. The requested resources fund 

the connectivity, associated hardware, infrastructure, and 

engineers to support the cloud infrastructure. 

18. Tenant alteration enhancements to address life and

safety requirements

Program Increase: $12,000,000

A net adjustment of $12.0 million is required in FY 2025 to 

fund life and safety tenant alterations requirements including 

repair and replacements of judges’ elevators. GSA has 

identified 15 federal courts that have non-public elevators that 

are unsafe, unreliable, and in need of critical repair to protect 

judges and to continue court operations without interruption. 

4.40
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

those high-priority elevators for which repair is necessary in 

FY 2025 to address life, safety and/or accessibility issues.

19. Financial Management, Audit, and Oversight

Enhancements

Requested Increase: $3,500,000

The judiciary requests $3.5 million to fund a major upgrade of 

several programs to enhance accountability and oversight. 

These include funding the continuation of the Judiciary Data 

Integrity, Reporting and Controls program (JDIRC), audit 

enhancements, and an Acquisition Improvement Strategy. 

The goal of the JDIRC Program is to ensure the integrity of 

funds, information, operations, and programs through 

strengthened internal controls and audit programs. The 

judiciary is also implementing a series of audit enhancements 

by establishing and maintaining a robust record management 

system to log audit findings, store exhibits and other financial 

files, track the development of remediation and corrective 

action plans (CAPs), monitor progress, and track compliance 

with CAPs. The Acquisition Improvement Strategy aims to 

establish a more robust and efficient acquisitions and a 

procurement framework that aligns with the organization's 

mission and mitigates potential risks to procurement operations 

across the judiciary. 

20. Strategic Workforce Planning Support

Requested Increase: $600,000 

The judiciary requests $0.6 million to fund contractual labor to 

support the newly established Strategic Workforce Planning 

staff with analyzing workforce supply and demand, assessing 

gaps, and determining targeted talent management actions. 

The team will use data, analytics, and reporting to proactively 

identify workforce issues and trends and to inform strategies 

for the recruitment, development and retention of judiciary 

staff. 

FINANCING THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 REQUEST

21. Estimated FY 2025 fee collections

Estimated funds available: $164,104,000 

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 is deposited into a special fund 

4.41
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 $164.1 million in revenue from 

these sources will be available in FY 2025 to finance 

requirements in the Salaries and Expenses account, an increase 

of $2.2 million from the $161.9 million estimated to be 

available in FY 2024. Table 4.14 lists offsetting receipts from 

collections by type, and displays the actual amounts collected 

in FY 2023 and estimates for FY 2024 and FY 2025 

collections. The judiciary will continue to monitor filings and 

other collections throughout FY 2024 and will advise 

appropriations subcommittee staffs of changes to these 

estimates.

Table 4.14 Offsetting Receipts from Collections

Fees

Subtotal, Fees 166,805 170,464 172,741

71,675

3,330

5,654

Type of Collection and 

Source

TOTAL TO SALARIES & 

EXPENSES

Registry Administration 

Fees 1,585 1,250

Fee allocation to Admin. 

Office3

FY 2023 

Actual 

Collections 

($000s)

FY 2024 

Estimated 

Collections 

($000)

Bankruptcy Filing and Misc. 

Fees 1

Civil Filing and Misc. 

Fees 2

Central Violations Bureau 

Fees 

Immigration Adjudication 

and Naturalization Fees 4,396

FY 2025 

Estimated 

Collections 

($000)

158,465 161,941 164,104

96,513

65,573

3,500

5,654

-8,340 -8,523 -8,637

85,685

71,536

3,603

1,500

88,555

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. 

22. Anticipated unencumbered carryforward from FY 2024

Estimated funds available: $175,000,000

The judiciary estimates that $175.0 million will be available 

4.42
through anticipated savings in FY 2024 to carry forward into 

FY 2025 and offset the FY 2025 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.

4.43