Facilities and Security – Annual Report 2023

Judicial Security

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) took several steps in 2023 to fully implement the Vulnerability Management Program for judges and their families, a relatively new effort that grew out of concern about increasing threats against federal judges in recent years. 

The new Judiciary Security Operations Branch hired 16 judiciary security officers to assist judges, their families, and court staff with physical security and emergency preparedness. The officers coordinate closely with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Protective Service, and the General Services Administration (GSA), which owns the nation’s federal courthouses, to address deficiencies with local court security measures. They also consult with courts and local law enforcement agencies about protections that improve security during high profile trials and mass gatherings at courthouses.

Since the program began in 2022, judges and qualifying family members have been able to enroll in the AO’s Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Reduction and Redaction Program, which assists in removing online PII that could pose a threat. The AO also coordinated information-sharing with the Marshals Service, the Federal Protective Service, and the GSA to follow up on more than 500 potential and actual risks to federal judges and Judiciary staff and facilities, ensuring potential threats to judges were addressed.

The proliferation of judges’ PII on the internet has been a major concern for the Judiciary in the wake of several attacks on judges in recent years. In July 2020, a former litigant killed the son of New Jersey District Judge Esther Salas at the family’s home. Judge Salas’s husband was seriously wounded in the attack. The gunman acquired the judge’s address, photos of her home, and her vehicle information on the internet.  

There also has been a steady rise in threats and inappropriate communications against federal judges and other court personnel, from 926 such incidents in 2015 to 2,710 incidents in 2023, according to the Marshals Service. Some threats have involved litigants angered by judges' decisions in cases, and the home addresses of judges handling controversial cases have been circulated on social media. 

Courthouse Security

Creating better security for court staff and the public at courthouses was a major focus for the AO in 2023 after Congress allocated $127.5 million for court-based security measures. 

Courthouse security issues took on heightened importance following outbreaks of civil unrest around the country and the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol by election protestors. More than 50 courthouses across the country were damaged, and two security employees were shot near courthouses, one fatally. The AO established an interagency group with representatives from the Marshals Service, the Federal Protective Service, and the GSA to begin work on an initiative to harden and protect courthouses. 

As of late 2023, the AO had committed nearly $27 million to the GSA to design and construct security countermeasures to prevent hostile crowds from forcibly entering doors and windows at court facilities. Forty-eight facilities had been funded for design services, 16 of which were in the construction phase for security enhancements. The hardening of doors and windows is done in a variety of ways, including window replacements, stronger windows installed in front of or behind current windows, and roll-down doors. Each building is evaluated for needed countermeasures, taking into account historical and life safety concerns.

Another $5 million was committed to the Federal Protective Service for temporary fencing that can be used on the perimeter of court facilities when needed for high-profile trials or periods of civil unrest.

New Courthouse Construction

The AO is managing and supporting multiple building projects that are part of a $2 billion commitment by Congress since fiscal year 2016 to courthouse construction nationwide.

In recent years, the GSA purchased a courthouse in Rutland, VT; finished courthouse annexes in Charlotte, NC, and Savannah, GA; and completed courthouses in Nashville, TN, Greenville, SC, San Antonio, Anniston, AL, and Harrisburg, PA. There are courthouse projects currently in design phases or under construction in Toledo, OH, Savannah, GA, Des Moines, IA, Huntsville, AL, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Greenville, MS. Building projects in Chattanooga, TN, and Hartford, CT, are in the planning phase.

Also in progress is a new plan for a federal facility in Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was prioritized as a judicial space emergency because of earthquake risks. In addition to the seismic retrofit alterations planned for the existing buildings, a new 153,000 gross-square-foot annex will be constructed directly adjacent to the buildings. The annex is in the design phase.

The federal courthouse construction program is administered jointly by the Judiciary and the GSA. The Judiciary establishes priorities for courthouse construction projects and sets the housing requirements for each project to ensure that completed facilities meet the needs of the courts. The GSA secures the funding for construction, acquires the building sites, and completes design and construction work on the facilities. The Judiciary annually identifies potential locations for new courthouses, annexes, and major renovation of courthouses that have the most urgent space needs.

The GSA received funding for the work in previous fiscal years. In fiscal year 2023, the agency received $155 million for the continuation of the courthouse projects in Hartford and Chattanooga and $55 million for the Fort Lauderdale project.