Court Security, Defenders See Funding Hike in Bipartisan Deal

Congressional spending leaders agreed to increase funding this fiscal year for federal public defenders and court security resources, as threats rise against the judiciary.

The bipartisan proposal for fiscal 2026, released Sunday by House and Senate appropriators, would give the federal judiciary $892 million for security, a nearly 19% increase over last fiscal year’s levels.

The funding increase, which matches the court system’s request and earlier proposals by the Republican-led House and Senate, comes as federal judges have faced increasing threats in recent years.

The US Marshals Service tracked over 560 threats against federal judges last fiscal year, an increase over the 509 logged the year prior, according to agency statistics. The agency has recorded 150 such threats in the first three months of this fiscal year, the data shows.

The proposed funding levels are part of a bipartisan deal to fund the judiciary, IRS, and other agencies for fiscal 2026, which began in October. It could get a vote on the House floor this week.

The bill includes more than $9 billion for the federal judiciary in total, according to summaries by Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee, up from last fiscal year’s levels.

Lawmakers moved to hike funds for federal public defenders, who represent low-income individuals charged with crimes, by more than 21%.

That funding hike, which meets the judiciary’s request of roughly $1.77 billion, would aim to address budgetary shortfalls that hampered the office last year.

The court system ran out of funds in July to pay private attorneys on what’s known as the Criminal Justice Act panel, who takes on cases for indigent criminal defendants where the defenders can’t. Those attorneys weren’t reimbursed for their expenses until after the government shutdown ended in November. The defenders have also faced a months-long hiring freeze.

The bill also includes about $135 million for the US Supreme Court’s salaries and expenses. The proposal matches the judiciary’s request for about $163 million for the high court when combined with the extra $28 million it got in last year’s short-term funding extension.