Enhanced security in the nation's courthouses and additional capacity for videoconferencing in the continued era of COVID-19 are some of the components in the judiciary's $8.1 billion budgetary request for the upcoming fiscal year, a proposed 5.2% increase (article available here).
Even once the pandemic is contained and other departments in the federal government return to normal, the federal judiciary will still need to contend with a massive backlog of cases and a potential increase in bankruptcy filings. The budget request also included $682 million for courthouse security, which would cover the cost of contract security officers, security systems and equipment for courthouses and patrol officers to protect the perimeters of the courthouse.
"The requested increases for FY 2022 will both improve the AO's operations and better equip us to bring these same innovations and developments to the broader court and defender communities, to the benefit of the entire judiciary and the taxpayer," director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said to a House appropriations subcommittee Wednesday.