In fy 2014 congress restored the judiciarys discretionary funding to its pre sequestration level of 6516 billion in fy 2015 the judiciary received 67 billion in discretionary funding a 28 increase over the prior year in fy 2016 the judiciary was funded at 678 billion in discretionary funding a 12 increase over fy 2015 funding. The judicial costs of crime can vary widely from as little as 200 to 400 for a motor vehicle theft to as high as 22000 to 44000 for a homicide according to a new rand corporation study that provides the first comprehensive effort to accurately estimate the judicial costs of specific reported crimes. The united states courts of appeals are the intermediate federal appellate courts they operate under a system of mandatory review which means they must hear all appeals of right from the lower courts in some cases congress has diverted appellate jurisdiction to specialized courts such as the foreign intelligence surveillance court of review the federal courts of appeals sit permanently in . In the american justice system theres often an assumption that if you cant afford a lawyer one will be provided for you but thousands of americans arriving in court each year over family