The fallout from President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has created serious concerns among judges, who issued an urgent plea to lawmakers Tuesday over crumbling courthouses, according to a new report.
Falling ceilings, contaminated water and malfunctioning elevators are among the problems facing federal judges and courts, Politico reported Tuesday. A top federal courts official has asked for courts to have the right to build or manage their own facilities. Courthouses are currently operated under the General Services Administration.
“Federal courthouses are in crisis. Without immediate action, the problems will continue to worsen,” Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr., director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, wrote in a letter to Congress. “Action is needed now to reverse a downward spiral of critical-system failures, long-term underfunding of repairs, security risks, and climbing costs.”
This is not the first time judges have aired grievances.
"While judges have groused for decades about neglect by their government landlord, complaints about GSA reached a fever pitch last year after haphazard moves by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative radically downsized the agency and targeted some courthouses for sale without any input from the judges who work there," Politico reported.
Judges could lay some of the blame at Trump's DOGE cuts.
"The urgent missive the judiciary sent to Congress Tuesday doesn’t make direct mention of DOGE, but it notes that GSA eliminated almost half its staff in recent months, creating security and safety risks by leaving no one on site at many courthouses to address hazards and urgent repairs," according to Politico. "Legislation the judges are backing would gradually transition existing courthouses from GSA to a new Judiciary Buildings Service."