A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation on Thursday aimed at transferring responsibility for the maintenance and management of federal courthouses from the General Services Administration (GSA) to the federal judiciary. The bill responds to widespread discontent within the court system over delays and inadequate facility upkeep under GSA’s oversight.
The proposed law would initiate a pilot program placing up to 10 of the nation’s 94 judicial districts under the control of a newly established Judiciary Buildings Service. This agency would be managed by the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, who currently coordinates judiciary operations nationwide. Under the plan, the courts would assume “jurisdiction, custody, and control” over their properties, with Congress and the Government Accountability Office maintaining oversight. The pilot program would last seven years unless Congress votes to extend it.
Senator Richard J. Durbin, the bill’s lead sponsor and a Democrat from Illinois, said the legislation is designed to ensure that federal courthouses remain “safe, secure, and operating effectively” for employees and visitors. He emphasized that Congress would retain its authority to oversee the judiciary’s management efforts.
Two Republicans co-sponsored the bill: Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Senator John Boozman of Arkansas. Cramer stressed that the judiciary, as a separate branch of government, should not depend on the executive branch for facility management, similar to the independence Congress maintains in managing its own buildings.
The measure follows several high-profile complaints signaling GSA’s shortcomings as landlord. One issue highlighted by Durbin and Senator Tammy Duckworth, also of Illinois, relates to prolonged problems with the water system at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, the largest federal courthouse in Illinois. Durbin and Duckworth criticized GSA’s timetable for repairs as “unacceptable” and condemned the agency’s handling as a “denigration of the judiciary and degradation of court facilities.”
Concerns about the water system intensified after an 83-year-old federal judge suggested he contracted Legionnaires’ disease linked to the courthouse’s water. GSA spokesman Michael Tammero dismissed the claim as “unsupported medical speculation.”
GSA has reported that maintenance backlog across courthouses it manages has reached $8.3 billion. Edward C. Forst, the agency’s administrator, defended GSA’s record by noting that courthouse repairs are costly relative to the $1.3 billion the judiciary pays annually in rent and services. He argued that the agency requires expanded authority to carry out large projects without protracted congressional approvals.
The legislation underscores growing tension between the judiciary and GSA over facility management and aims to grant courts more direct control over their working environments, potentially improving responsiveness to repair and safety issues.