GSA pushes back on bill to hand courthouse property control to judges

Lawmakers have introduced the Judicial Space and Facilities Management Effectiveness Act, which would allow the federal judiciary to assume real-property authority for courthouses in up to ten districts, shifting responsibilities from the General Services Administration. The GSA, which currently acts as landlord for most federal court buildings, contends that past experiments in the late 1980s and early 2000s resulted in courts facing large, unexpected repair bills, leading the Judicial Conference to withdraw from the program in 2005.

The agency points to the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama, where maintenance deficits grew to $57.7 million and safety hazards were identified. Judicial representatives counter that the Birmingham courthouse has been successfully managed without GSA involvement and cite praise from Judge Julia S. Gibbons and former Senator Jeff Sessions at a Senate hearing. The GSA also notes a broader $8.3 billion backlog in courthouse repairs, attributing it to a broken congressional authorization and appropriations process, and says its administrator Edward Forst is pursuing reforms to federal building management. Both sides argue over who is best equipped to maintain the nation’s courthouses and how to fund necessary upgrades.