Federal Judiciary Asks Congress for Authority to Manage Its Own Courthouses

The federal judiciary has asked Congress to pass legislation giving it the power to manage its own courthouses. If the request is granted, this change would shift that authority from the General Services Administration (GSA), which is part of the executive branch. The Judicial Conference, which is the rule-making body for the federal courts, sent a draft bill on Feb. 24 to administration and congressional leaders, proposing a gradual shift in property-management authority. The group cited a decade’s worth of deferred maintenance, noting that even emergency repairs, including storm damage, can take years to complete. “Federal courthouses are in crisis. Without immediate action, the problems will continue to worsen,” Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr., the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, said in a statement in support of the request....