The federal judiciary got none of the $37 million in new emergency relief it requested from Congress to help manage coronavirus-related priorities and received less than what it requested in appropriations to fund operations for the remainder of the current fiscal year (article available here).
Federal courts dealing with the pandemic have incurred additional expenses while adapting their practices to the pandemic. When not closed due to safety and health concerns, they’ve reshuffled operations, been outfitted with protective gear, and moved to remote platforms—all of which cost money.
The judiciary received about $7.5 million in the initial coronavirus relief stimulus last spring mainly for technology and testing and treatment costs for its probation and pretrial services program.
The second, $37 million request came after the courts and federal defender organizations identified additional funding needs for pandemic “prevention, preparedness, and response” the judiciary told lawmakers. This also included money to pay for enhanced courtroom cleaning, health screenings, and teleworking infrastructure.