H.R. 3426: Courthouse Affordability and Space Efficiency Act of 2025

H.R. 3426, the Courthouse Affordability and Space Efficiency Act of 2025, would limit when the General Services Administration can move forward with new federal courthouse construction. If a new courthouse project has not already started by the time the bill becomes law, it would have to meet stricter courtroom-sharing rules before construction could begin.

The bill is aimed at a long-running complaint in Congress that some federal courthouses are designed with more dedicated courtrooms than judges actually need every day. Instead of assuming each judge should have a courtroom set aside just for them, the measure pushes a shared-use model. For larger courthouses, that means fewer courtrooms than judges, with minimum ratios for active district judges, bankruptcy judges, senior district judges, and magistrate judges.

The legislation also tells the judiciary's courthouse design guide to update its standards within 180 days so future projects reflect these new sharing expectations as much as possible. On top of that, if a new courthouse would add more space to the federal inventory, existing space in the same courthouse complex would have to be fully used or given up. That is meant to prevent the government from paying to maintain old and new space at the same time without a clear need.

Supporters are likely to frame this as a taxpayer-protection bill focused on efficiency and cost discipline. Critics may argue that courthouse planning needs flexibility for security, scheduling, judicial independence, and future caseload growth. The practical effect is clear: new courthouse projects would face a tougher standard, and federal planners would have less room to build around one courtroom per judge.