The federal judiciary asked Congress for authority to manage its own buildings, claiming the General Services Administration has mismanaged its courthouses for decades and left them in “crisis.”
Judge Robert Conrad, director of the Administrative Office of the US Courts, proposed legislation on Tuesday that would give the federal courts the power to purchase, renovate, lease, and construct buildings considered necessary for the judiciary to operate. This would allow the judiciary to make repairs more efficiently, according to the court system.
Conrad told congressional leaders the proposal reflects a “long-standing position” by the Judicial Conference, the federal court system’s policymaking ...