Federal Judiciary Space

Federal Judiciary Space
Author: United States Accounting Office (GAO)
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 24
Release: 2018-05-18
Genre:
ISBN: 9781719231077

Federal Judiciary Space: Progress Is Being Made to Improve the Long-Range Planning Process

Federal Judiciary Space

Federal Judiciary Space
Author: United States Accounting Office (GAO)
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 26
Release: 2018-03-21
Genre:
ISBN: 9781984945990

GAO-01-308R Federal Judiciary Space: Update on Improvement of the Long-Range Planning Process

Federal Judiciary

Federal Judiciary
Author: United States Government Accountability Office
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 56
Release: 2017-09-23
Genre:
ISBN: 9781977575722

As of fiscal year 2015, the federal judiciary paid over $1 billion in rent to the General Services Administration (GSA) for court-related space. GAO previously found that the judiciary faced challenges managing increasing space and rental costs, including for the U.S. Courts of Appeals. GAO was asked to review the judiciary's space reduction efforts, focusing on appellate space. This report examines: (1) the policies and practices that guide space use decisions for federal courts of appeals; (2) trends in rent, space occupied, and use of appellate space; and (3) actions taken to reduce or improve use of appellate space, including any related challenges and the extent to which the judiciary has shared information to support such efforts. GAO reviewed statutes, GSA and judicial policies and guidance, and information on projects to reduce appellate space; analyzed GSA's billing data on the judiciary from fiscal years 2009 through 2015; and visited 7 appellate courthouses, selected to include those in diverse locations with a variety of caseloads. GAO also interviewed officials in all 12 regional judicial circuits, AOUSC (the judiciary's administrative arm), GSA's central office, and GSA's 11 regional offices.

Federal Judiciary Space

Federal Judiciary Space
Author: U S Government Accountability Office (G
Publisher: BiblioGov
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2013-06
Genre:
ISBN: 9781289094058

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts' (AOUSC) projections for its long-range space needs, focusing on the reasonableness and reliability of the methodology used to project its needs. GAO found that: (1) the methodology AOUSC used to project its future space needs was not sufficiently reliable to base congressional authorization or funding approval for new court space construction and renovation; (2) district space allocation varies significantly because AOUSC does not apply its planning assumptions equally among all districts, account for caseload fluctuations over time, and classify districts to reflect their actual staffing and space needs; (3) AOUSC baselines do not accurately reflect the space needs for all districts because staffing imbalances and local representatives' perceptions regarding deficits have affected baseline computations; (4) although future projections will continue to vary, alternative methods for projecting caseloads could provide more reliable estimates; and (5) improvements are needed in the AOUSC planning process to ensure that the baselines do not exceed the amount of space needed.