Appropriations committee reviews Louisiana judiciary's $220 million FY26 request, including CASA, specialty courts, tech and security

The House Committee on Appropriations on April 14 received the Louisiana judiciary's fiscal 2026 budget presentation, which proposed a roughly $220 million total budget with about $199 million in state general fund support and multiple targeted increases for judges' pay, court technology, security and specialty programs.

Why it matters: the judiciary's budget funds salaries and operations for the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, district courts and statewide programs such as CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), drug and specialty courts, and the Families in Need of Services (FINS) program. Committee members pressed the judiciary on how new requests fit amid declining filings, a pending workload study and the state’s fiscal constraints.

The presentation, delivered by agency staff and by Chief Justice John Weimer, said the judiciary's FY26 request totals about $220,000,000. Of that, the state general fund portion was reported at roughly $199,000,000. The Supreme Court portion of that request is the largest single share: roughly $98,900,000 (about 45 percent). Courts of appeal and district courts were listed at about $57,000,000 and $59,000,000 respectively; other courts and non‑statutory items made up smaller amounts.

Miss Robinson, presenting the package, described line‑item increases the judiciary is seeking: an $11,000,000 increase in state general fund overall, an estimated $6.8 million for judges' salary increases, $2.2 million for staff…