Federal Courthouse Construction.

Intro -- FEDERAL COURTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION -- FEDERAL COURTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 FEDERAL COURTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION: BETTER PLANNING, OVERSIGHT, AND COURTROOM SHARING NEEDED TO ADDRESS FUTURE COSTS -- WHY GAO DID THIS STUDY -- WHAT GAO RECOMMENDS -- WHAT GAO FOUND -- ABBREVIATIONS -- BACKGROUND -- EXTRA SPACE IN COURTHOUSES COST AN ESTIMATED 835 MILLION IN CONSTANT 2010 DOLLARS TO CONSTRUCT AND 51 MILLION ANNUALLY TO RENT, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN -- MOST COURTHOUSES EXCEED CONGRESSIONALLY AUTHORIZED SIZE DUE TO A LACK OF OVERSIGHT BY GSA -- Most Federal Courthouses Constructed since 2000 Exceed Authorized Size, Some by Substantial Amounts -- Most of the Courthouses That Exceeded Authorized Size by 10 Percent or More Also Exceeded Budget Estimates -- Increase in Overall Size Consisted of Increases in Building Common and Tenant Spaces -- GSA Lacked Sufficient Oversight and Controls to Ensure That Courthouses Were Planned and Built According to Authorized Size -- Lack of GSA Oversight Contributed to More Building Common Space than Planned -- A Lack of GSA Oversight Contributed to Some Courthouses Being Built with Larger Tenant Spaces -- Recently, GSA Has Taken Some Steps to Improve Oversight of Courthouse Size -- ESTIMATED SPACE NEEDS EXCEEDED ACTUAL SPACE NEEDS, RESULTING IN COURTHOUSES THAT WERE LARGER THAN NECESSARY -- Because the Judiciary Overestimated the Number of Judges, Courthouses Have Much Extra Space after 10 Years -- Judiciary Planning Overstated the Need for Space through Inaccurate Caseload Projections and Allocations of Space for Visiting Judges -- The Judiciary's Method of Estimating Judges Does Not Account for Uncertainty in When Judges Will Take Senior Status and in How Many New Judgeships Will Be Authorized.

LOW LEVELS OF USE SHOW THAT JUDGES COULD SHARE COURTROOMS, REDUCING THE NEED FOR FUTURE COURTROOMS BY MORE THAN ONE-THIRD -- Courtrooms Assigned to One Judge Are Used a Quarter of the Time or Less for Case Proceedings -- Increased Courtroom Sharing Is Feasible and Could Reduce the Need for Courtrooms by More than One-Third -- Some Judges Said They Could Overcome the Challenges to Courtroom Sharing -- The Judiciary Has Taken Some Steps to Increase Sharing in Future Courthouse Projects -- CONCLUSIONS -- RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXECUTIVE ACTION -- AGENCY COMMENTS AND OUR EVALUATION -- GSA Comments -- AOUSC Comments -- APPENDIX I. OBJECTIVES, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY -- APPENDIX II. COMMENTS FROM THE U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION -- GAO Comments -- APPENDIX III. COMMENTS FROM THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY -- GAO Comments -- End Notes -- Chapter 2 STATEMENT OF JUDGE MICHAEL A. PONSOR, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON SPACE AND FACILITIES, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS AND COMPETITION POLICY, HEARING ON "COURTROOM USE: ACCESS TO JUSTICE, EFFECTIVE JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION, AND COURTROOM SECURITY" -- INTRODUCTION -- The Courthouse Construction Program -- The Judiciary's Courtroom Sharing Policies -- The Impact of GAO's Courtroom Simulation Model on Access to Justice -- CONCLUSION -- End Notes -- Chapter 3 STATEMENT OF ROBERT A. PECK, COMMISSIONER, PUBLIC BUILDINGS SERVICE, U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS AND COMPETITION POLICY, HEARING ON "FEDERAL COURTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION" -- Chapter 4 STATEMENT OF JUDGE ROBERT JAMES CONRAD, CHIEF DISTRICT JUDGE, WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS AND COMPETITION POLICY, HEARING ON "COURTROOM USE: ACCESS TO JUSTICE, EFFECTIVE JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION, AND COURTROOM SECURITY" -- INTRODUCTION -- FEDERAL COURTS ARE PLACES OF DIGNITY AND DELIBERATION.

THE COURTROOM IS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL IN THE JUDICIAL PROCESS -- COURTHOUSES MUST ALSO BE SAFE AND SECURE -- THE CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA COURTHOUSE -- Courtroom 3 (Our "L" shaped Courtroom) -- Courtrooms One and Two -- Security Concerns -- Condition Concerns -- CONCLUSION -- Chapter 5 FEDERAL COURTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION -- SUMMARY -- BACKGROUND2 -- CONGRESSIONAL FUNDING FOR COURTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION -- FY2009 Funding -- RECENT CONSIDERATIONS -- End Notes -- CHAPTER SOURCES -- INDEX -- Blank Page.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.