Seal
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James C. Duff, Director |
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Agency overview | |
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Formed | August 7, 1939 |
Jurisdiction | United States Judiciary |
Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Employees | 1,200 (2007) |
Annual budget | $54 million (1998) |
Agency executive |
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Parent agency | Judicial Conference of the United States |
Website | www |
The Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) is the administrative agency of the United States federal court system. It was established in 1939.
The AO is the central support entity for the federal judicial branch. It provides a wide range of administrative, legal, financial, management, program, and information technology services to the federal courts.
The AO is directly supervised by the Judicial Conference of the United States, the body that sets the national and legislative policy of the federal judiciary, which is composed of the Chief Justice of the United States, the chief judge of each court of appeals, a district court judge from each regional judicial circuit, and the chief judge of the United States Court of International Trade.
The AO implements and executes Judicial Conference policies, as well as applicable federal statutes and regulations. The AO facilitates communications within the judiciary and with Congress, the executive branch, and the public on behalf of the judiciary.
The mission of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) is to provide a variety of support functions to the United States federal judiciary. The AO prepares and submits the budget for the courts to the Judicial Conference for approval by Congress. It analyzes legislation from Congress that will affect the courts' operations or personnel, and it interprets and applies the new laws. It also provides administrative help to members of the courts in the form of clerks, probation and pretrial services officers, court reporters, and public defenders. It also works together with the General Services Administration to develop and operate suitable accommodations for federal courts, either in federal buildings or in standalone federal courthouses.