Duckworth, Durbin Call on GSA to Act with Urgency to Address Ongoing Maintenance Issues at Dirksen & Roszkowski Courthouses

July 27, 2026 Duckworth, Durbin Call on GSA to Act with Urgency to Address Ongoing Maintenance Issues at Dirksen & Roszkowski Courthouses The Senators’ letter follows the public reports that a federal judge serving in the Northern District of Illinois contracted Legionnaires’ disease and believes the illness was linked to the water system in the Dirksen Courthouse [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Ed Forst calling on GSA to act with urgency to complete longstanding maintenance issues at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse and the Stanley J. Roszkowski U.S. Courthouse in the Northern District of Illinois. The Senators first wrote to Administrator Forst on April 27, 2026 and GSA has since made recent progress in beginning to address several longstanding maintenance issues in both facilities. However, significant deferred maintenance remains and many of the most critical projects, including fire and life safety upgrades, elevator modernization, courthouse lobby hardening and other security improvements, remain years from completion. The Senators’ letter comes after public reporting that a federal judge serving in the Northern District of Illinois contracted Legionnaires’ disease and believes the illness was linked to the water system in the Dirksen Courthouse. “While we recognize GSA’s recent investments, we urge the agency to maintain this momentum and complete these projects without further unnecessary delay to ensure both courthouses are safe and functional,” the Senators wrote. The Senators note that Legionella has posed a public health threat within the courthouse water system since at least 2024 and GSA has been aware of that risk throughout that time. Yet, rather than taking decisive and timely action to eliminate the risk, the agency relied on incremental corrective measures while delaying implementation of more comprehensive protections, including the secondary disinfection system now being piloted. “It is unacceptable that these stronger safeguards were not pursued until after a serious illness brought renewed attention to the problem,” the Senators wrote. “Federal employees and members of the public using the facilities should not have to become ill before GSA acts with urgency to protect their health and safety.” The Senators’ letter continues, “We urge GSA to accelerate completion of the remaining deferred maintenance projects and installation of the secondary water treatment systems, while prioritizing investments that protect the health and safety of everyone who works in and visits the Northern District of Illinois courthouses.” The Senators concluded their letter by calling out GSA’s recent statement criticizing the courts and downplaying its own failure to ensure water quality and workplace safety in the Northern District of Illinois. The Senators note that GSA’s statement indicates GSA still does not intend to act with the haste these public health concerns necessitate. In a statement to the ABC7 Chicago I-Team last week, GSA said, “It is ironic that the courts, which rely on evidence to administer justice, would suggest a causal connection between an employee’s illness and the water quality at the Dirksen Courthouse without any substantiating evidence. At a time when judicial case backlogs remain significant, the courts should remain focused on their core mission rather than engage in unsupported medical speculation.” “GSA’s denigration of the judiciary and degradation of court facilities is unacceptable,” the Senators wrote. “We expect GSA to fulfill its responsibility to provide safe, functional, and properly maintained courthouses and to act with the urgency the current conditions demand.” Full text of the letter is available on Senator Duckworth’s website and below: July 23, 2026 Dear Administrator Forst: Thank you for your July 2, 2026, response to our April 27, 2026, letter regarding the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse and the Stanley J. Roszkowski U.S. Courthouse. We appreciate GSA’s recent progress in beginning to address several longstanding maintenance issues in both facilities. However, significant deferred maintenance remains and many of the most critical projects, including fire and life safety upgrades, elevator modernization, courthouse lobby hardening, and other security improvements, remain years from completion. While we recognize GSA’s recent investments, we urge the agency to maintain this momentum and complete these projects without further unnecessary delay to ensure both courthouses are safe and functional. We are also deeply concerned by the now-public reports that a federal judge serving in the Northern District of Illinois contracted Legionnaires’ disease and believes the illness was linked to the water system in the Dirksen Courthouse. Legionella has posed a public health threat within the courthouse water system since at least 2024, and GSA has been aware of that risk throughout that time. Yet, rather than taking decisive and timely action to eliminate the risk, the agency relied on incremental corrective measures while delaying implementation of more comprehensive protections, including the secondary disinfection system now being piloted. It is unacceptable that these stronger safeguards were not pursued until after a serious illness brought renewed attention to the problem. Federal employees and members of the public using the facilities should not have to become ill before GSA acts with urgency to protect their health and safety. We urge GSA to accelerate completion of the remaining deferred maintenance projects and installation of the secondary water treatment systems, while prioritizing investments that protect the health and safety of everyone who works in and visits the Northern District of Illinois courthouses. The recent events at the Dirksen Courthouse underscore that deferred maintenance and water quality issues are not merely facility management concerns, but also matters of public health, workplace safety, and the effective administration of justice. Finally, GSA’s recent statement criticizing the courts and downplaying its own failure to ensure water quality and workplace safety in the Northern District of Illinois indicates GSA still does not intend to act with the haste these public health concerns necessitate. GSA’s denigration of the judiciary and degradation of court facilities is unacceptable. We expect GSA to fulfill its responsibility to provide safe, functional, and properly maintained courthouses and to act with the urgency the current conditions demand. We look forward to receiving continued updates on the status of these projects. Sincerely, -30- Print Tweet Previous Article