The Trump administration is fighting the federal judiciary's effort to secure independent control over its courthouses and end the executive branch's management of its buildings, saying the court system is “ill-equipped for the real estate job.” Edward Forst, the head of the General Services Administration, made the statement in a letter, deepening strains between the judiciary and the administration of President Trump, who has repeatedly attacked judges and U.S. Supreme Court justices who rule against him. Nate Raymond has more here.
Last year, the GSA demanded the judiciary justify why the administration should not cancel leases for space it utilizes at 160 locations nationally and also eyed 443 court properties for potential sale.
In other judiciary news, last week the federal judiciary approved a new office focused on improving the quality of representation of indigent criminal defendants at the U.S. Supreme Court, with the goal of creating a counterweight to the U.S. Solicitor General's Office. Policymakers also outlined plans to accelerate the development of a new, more secure electronic case management system, saying a major hack of the system last year made clear the need to upgrade the aging system.
