Annual Report 2024

Director′s Message

March 2025 marks one year that I have served as Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, an appointment I was honored to accept from Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. in 2024.  

As Director, I have attended most annual circuit judicial conferences across the country, enabling me to rekindle friendships and meet fellow judges and employees at all levels of the Judiciary. I have been heartened by their commitment to public service and loyalty to our branch of government. We are a united branch with a deep commitment to excellence in the administration of justice and to the public we serve.

We face tremendous challenges as a branch and we are up to the task of meeting them. In 2024, our 30,000-strong workforce focused on ensuring a modern Judiciary, equipped to succeed going forward, one that is more lean and efficient and that continues our tradition of judicious use of the public funds entrusted to us. We also strive for a workplace that offers greater safety and security for our employees and members of the public who visit our courthouses. Notwithstanding budgetary constraints, we’ve made strides in these areas.

I am happy to report that the Judiciary’s Vulnerability Management Program for judges and their families is now fully implemented and is taking concrete steps to address concerns about increasing threats against federal judges in recent years. 

Since the program began in 2022, the AO has assisted judges and family members in removing personally identifiable information posted online that could pose threats. Security officers monitor risks to judges and their immediate family members and assist in removing or redacting the publication of personally identifiable information. In 2024, the program provided services to 1,731 judges, 114 retired judges, and 235 family members.

Our judges and employees must feel safe and secure in their workplaces at a time of increasing physical threats to government employees and facilities. As of late 2024, the AO had committed nearly $60.5 million to 63 facilities for design and construction of security countermeasures, including window replacements, window reinforcements, and roll-down doors. In addition, $5 million was transferred 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. 

The Judiciary also made significant progress on the multi-year modernization of its electronic case management system. This major undertaking is expected to greatly improve the Judiciary’s cybersecurity posture and benefit litigants and the public who need access to court records.
Underway since 2022, the modernization has truly been an all-hands team effort involving not only AO staff but also judges and administrative staff across the country.  The new system will replace the Judiciary’s aging Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) system with a modern, sustainable, and secure platform for the Judiciary to efficiently manage cases and provide public access to case documents.

Any discussion of the past year must include a tribute to the countless hours invested by the members of our Workplace Conduct Working Group and the many employees throughout the AO and the courts working toward the common goal of an exemplary workplace.

Over the summer, two national reports evaluated our progress since early 2018, when the working group was created at the direction of Chief Justice Roberts. Both were issued by reputable organizations outside the Judiciary. And while neither gave us a perfect score, they validated that we are on the right track. The Judiciary’s own first-ever Annual Report on the Judiciary Workplace likewise found that an increasing number of employees are opting to use the new processes and procedures that have been put in place to sustain a workplace that is safe, healthy, and respectful. We have embarked on a journey but have not yet reached our destination. We have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, but we are not done. Our workforce survey will guide our Workplace Conduct Working Group to continuous improvement in this area.

Every workplace has its unsung heroes. I’d like to conclude by recognizing some of ours.

First, the men and women who dedicate their lives to ensuring every defendant has professional legal counsel. In 2024, the Judiciary celebrated the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA), which created a criminal defense system that is second to none. To mark this important milestone, the AO organized several special events, and the Judicial Conference of the United States adopted a resolution expressing its continued support for the CJA as a critical component of an adversarial system of justice. It was an honor to speak at a ceremony marking this milestone.

I’m also particularly proud of the probation and pretrial services officers who help keep communities safe by supervising defendants awaiting trial or former defendants released from custody. Our officers have shown great leadership in embracing data and cutting-edge social science to improve outcomes for both communities and defendants.

I look forward to the new year. I relish the opportunity to work with my fellow judges on the Judicial Conference and AO staff to maintain and sustain a robust, independent, and impartial judicial branch of government.  We will build on our past efforts to seek excellence going forward. I’m proud to work with you in that endeavor.