Appropriations Committee Approves $31.5 million for new LA Courthouse Facility
July 21, 2000

Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, at the urging of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D.-Calif), has approved $31.5 million for the construction of a new federal courthouse facility in downtown Los Angeles as part of the Treasury/Postal Appropriations bill.

“The federal courthouse facilities in Los Angeles cannot handle the current caseload, let alone the projected increases.” Senator Feinstein said following the vote on Thursday. “This new facility will provide additional courtrooms and help address the backlog of cases. It balances the essential need for judges to have an available courtroom to fulfill their responsibilities with the economic realities of limited resources.”

The new facility will be located adjacent to the Roybal Building in downtown Los Angeles and will be connected to the building via a tunnel or bridge.

The existing U.S. Courthouse opened in 1938 with eight courtrooms. As the caseload has grown with Los Angeles’ increasing population, more courtrooms were added by converting offices on the upper floors. By 1991 the building was filled to capacity.

The caseload for the Los Angeles division of the Central District Court of California is the largest workload in the nationwide system of federal courts. Since 1995, the court’s caseload has increased by 47 percent–from 43,638 to 63,846 cases.

Feinstein requested this funding as part of her role as a member of the Appropriations Committee. The legislation is expected to be considered by the full Senate next week.