The infrastructure of the nation’s federal courthouses is crumbling, plagued by collapsing ceilings, malfunctioning elevators and contaminated water supplies, a top representative for the federal judiciary declared in an unusual plea to Congress on Tuesday.
“Federal courthouses are in crisis. Without immediate action, the problems will continue to worsen,” Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr., director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, said in a letter to lawmakers. “Action is needed now to reverse a downward spiral of critical-system failures, long-term underfunding of repairs, security risks, and climbing costs.”
Conrad urged lawmakers to address the problem by giving the courts the power to build and operate their courthouses — tasks now handled by the General Services Administration.
While judges have groused for decades about neglect by their government landlord, complaints about GSA reached a fever pitch last year after haphazard moves by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative radically downsized the agency and targeted some courthouses for sale without any input from the judges who work there.
The urgent missive the judiciary sent to Congress on Tuesday doesn’t make direct mention of DOGE, but it notes that GSA eliminated almost half its staff in recent months, creating security and safety risks by leaving no one on site at many courthouses to address hazards and urgent repairs. Legislation the judges are backing would gradually transition existing courthouses from GSA to a new Judiciary Buildings Service.
A spokesperson for GSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
