Two Supreme Court justices are set to testify before Congress next week on the high court’s annual budget request, marking the first time since 2019 that members of the court have appeared before lawmakers to discuss judicial funding.
House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) announced that Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan will testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) on July 14. Cole noted that the FSGG oversees the annual appropriations bill for the Supreme Court.
The justices will also testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee, which determines how much federal money is allocated to government agencies, programs, and the military each year.
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has requested $9.7 billion in discretionary funding for the federal judiciary for fiscal year 2027 and an additional $826.5 million in mandatory appropriations to cover judicial salaries and retirement funds. The request includes $14.6 million for the Supreme Court Police to support protective activities for justices, their homes, and families.
Citing a nationwide surge in threats against the judiciary, the budget also seeks $920.9 million from Congress to deploy front-line security officers at every federal courthouse across the country.
The announcement has prompted a bipartisan effort to gain clarity on how the court will allocate these funds. Senior appropriators have indicated that their focus will remain on the court’s operational costs and expenditures rather than pending cases.
