[4] When the federal government enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in response to the then-ongoing Great Recession, some of the economic stimulus funds were allocated for the construction of the new Austin courthouse.

[7] The courthouse complex occupies the full city block between Fourth, Fifth, San Antonio and Nueces Streets,[2] immediately west of Republic Square.

The rectangular form sits atop a concrete plinth set back 50 feet (15 m) from the streets, creating broad sidewalks on all sides.

[3] The building contains eight courtrooms and ten judge's chambers,[2] with the major interior spaces characterized by wood paneling of warm-colored pecan and pervasive daylighting.

[3] The work is a representation of high-resolution photographs of the Texas Hill Country; it was developed using a combination of traditional stained-glass techniques (in cooperation with Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich) and digital printing.

[10] It has been called an example of the "innovative public building projects that embrace contemporary design strategies and material approaches" that were enabled by the 1962 "Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture" directive.