US judiciary asks Congress for authority over courthouses in 'crisis'

By Nate Raymond

Feb 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. federal judiciary on Tuesday asked Congress to give it the power to manage its own courthouses and shift authority away from the executive branch, saying decades of inadequate oversight exacerbated by recent actions by President Donald Trump's administration had left them in "crisis."

The U.S. Judicial Conference, the judiciary's policymaking body, submitted the proposal to top lawmakers citing a growing backlog of $8.3 billion of repairs needed for courthouses currently managed by the court system's landlord, the General Services Administration.

"Federal courthouses are in crisis," Judge Robert Conrad, the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, said in a statement. "Without immediate action, the problems will continue to worsen."

The judiciary submitted a draft bill called the Space and Facilities Management Effectiveness Act of 2026, which calls for a gradual shift of authority over court properties from the GSA to the judiciary, starting with buildings in no more than 10 districts.

Conrad, in letters to the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, said the proposal was consistent with positions the Judicial Conference has taken since 1989, saying there has been "decades of inadequate management and oversight."

He said Congress needed to act now in order to "reverse a downward spiral of critical-system failures, long-term underfunding of repairs, security risks, and climbing costs."

"The recent unilateral actions and reorganization of GSA have only exacerbated these conditions," Conrad wrote.

The GSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The judiciary occupies 396 government-owned buildings and 379 leased spaces nationwide. It is currently paying $1.3 billion annually in rent to the GSA, which is responsible for construction and upkeep of federal courthouses.

The longstanding relationship between the judiciary and its executive-branch landlord has become strained during Republican President Donald Trump's second term, as the GSA launched a cost-cutting initiative driven by the Elon Musk-spearheaded Department of Government Efficiency.

In February 2025, the GSA demanded the judiciary justify why it should not cancel leases for space it utilizes at 160 locations nationally. It then a month later included numerous courthouses on a list of hundreds of government properties it planned to sell.

Following a backlash, the GSA rescinded that list and later replaced it with a shorter one identifying 46 properties for "accelerated disposition." It includes at least six courthouses, two of which in Oregon and Iowa have since been sold.

Read more:

Courthouses eyed for potential sale by Trump administration

Trump administration eyes canceling leases for space used by US judiciary