Why it matters
The Big Picture
The judiciary's budget priorities shifted markedly in the final appropriation. Defender Services saw the largest dollar increase, rising 21.7 percent from $1.451 billion to $1.766 billion. The account fully funded the judiciary's request and addressed $70.4 million in deferred panel attorney payments from fiscal year 2025, along with staffing increases for federal defender organizations and infrastructure projects. By contrast, Fees of Jurors and Commissioners plummeted 67.2 percent from $58.2 million to $19.1 million, though the judiciary stated that unobligated balances would cover actual juror needs for the year.
Supreme Court Justice security received sustained attention from Congress. P.L. 118-158 provided $13.6 million for Supreme Court Justice residence protection in FY2025. P.L. 119-37 provided $28.0 million in supplemental appropriations for Supreme Court Justice protection in FY2026. An April 30, 2026 appropriation provided another $30 million for justice security.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government recommended $8.94 billion in discretionary funds for the judiciary on July 21, 2025, by a vote of 9-6. The Senate draft bill, S. 3290, introduced on December 1, 2025, received no further action. Instead, the House passed H.R. 7006 on January 14, 2026, consolidating judiciary funding with national security appropriations. The Senate passed the broader Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 on January 30, and after a brief funding lapse, the House concurred on February 3.
A joint explanatory statement placed in the Congressional Record on January 14 imposed new reporting requirements on the judiciary. The Supreme Court must provide semiannual briefings on security funding expenditures and implementation of its strategic security plan. The judiciary must brief the House and Senate Appropriations Committees quarterly on any new breaches to its PACER system and cybersecurity investments.
The Bottom Line
The judiciary's appropriations have grown from approximately $6.9 billion in fiscal year 2012 to $9.2 billion in fiscal year 2026. Congress narrowly averted operational collapse during the shutdown but left unresolved the structural challenge: most of the judiciary's accounts have operated on flat funding since fiscal year 2023, according to testimony from Seventh Circuit Judge Amy JStEve on May 14, 2025
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