United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2000-12-14 monographic deposited born digital 62 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-70 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-70 P0b002ee1803725cc f:d0170 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-70 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-70 GAO-01-70 Government facility construction Federal courts Data collection Judges Trials Judiciary Space and Facilities program Letter Report The judiciary is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar courthouse construction program. New courthouses are being constructed to accommodate new judgeships created because of increasing caseloads and to replace obsolete courthouses occupied by existing judges. For many years there has been a debate about whether district judges could share courtrooms to save taxpayer dollars without compromising effective judicial administration. In 1997 GAO issued a report calling for better courtroom use data and analysis to enhance facility planning.In response, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC), contracted with Ernst & Young to conduct a study of the judiciary's facilities program in 1999. As part of the study AOUSC asked Ernst & Young to conduct a thorough analysis of courtroom utilization, assignment, and sharing by judges. GAO was then asked to review the report to determine whether the study provided sufficient data and analysis to show if courtroom sharing would be feasible. GAO found that the Ernst & Young study did not provide the type of data and analysis that GAO and other research organizations such as the Rand Institute for Civil Justice and the Federal Judicial Center have determined would be needed to help resolve the courtroom-sharing issue. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-70/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-70.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-70/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-70.pdf GAO-01-70 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-70 Letter Report GAO-01-70; Courthouse Construction: Sufficient Data and Analysis; Government facility construction Federal courts Data collection Judges Trials Judiciary Space and Facilities program Volume 113 Page 430 113 Stat. 430 Public Law 106-58