H.R. 3426 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Sep 15, 2025. Received Sep 16, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRequires courtroom sharing in federal courthouses
This bill tells the General Services Administration (the federal agency that manages buildings) that it must require judges to share courtrooms instead of each having their own. It sets up specific ratios—for example, judges would share courtrooms based on whether they're bankruptcy judges, senior judges, or other types. The bill also prevents the GSA from building new courthouses unless they follow these sharing rules, and requires them to update their design guidelines within six months.
How it affects you
This mainly affects federal court operations and the judges who work in them. If you use federal courts as a lawyer, judge, court staff member, or someone involved in a court case, you might notice changes in how courtrooms are scheduled and used, though the bill doesn't spell out specific day-to-day impacts for the public.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, May 15, 2025)
Courthouse Affordability and Space Efficiency (CASE) Act of 2025
This bill provides statutory authority for the General Services Administration (GSA) courtroom sharing policy and limits construction of new courthouses.
Under the bill, GSA must ensure courtroom sharing by magistrate, bankruptcy, and senior district judges. Specifically
• in courthouses with 10 or more active district judges, GSA must provide two courtrooms per 3 active district judges (except such courthouses may contain not less than 9 courtrooms for active district judges);
• in courthouses with 3 or more bankruptcy judges, GSA must provide one courtroom per 2 bankruptcy judges;
• in courthouses with 3 or more senior district judges, GSA must provide one courtroom per 2 senior district judges; and
• in courthouses with 3 or more magistrate judges, GSA must provide one courtroom per 2 magistrate judges.
GSA is prohibited from constructing a new courthouse that does not comply with the courtroom sharing requirements. Additionally, if a new courthouse will add capacity in the GSA inventory, existing space in the same courthouse complex must be fully utilized or relinquished from such inventory.
GSA must update the U.S. Courts Design Guide to reflect these requirements within 180 days after the bill's enactment. (The Design Guide sets forth the federal judiciary’s requirements for the design, construction, and renovation of court facilities and is intended for use by individuals involved in federal court construction projects.)
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 3426
AN ACT
Courthouse Affordability and Space Efficiency Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-6) · Introduced May 15, 2025 · Government Operations and Politics · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 1, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 4 official versions.