As East Coast snowstorm looms, courts, law libraries and other government offices close their doors
Due to a predicted monster snowstorm that could be one of the worst ever to hit the East Coast, courts, law libraries and other government offices in the Washington, D.C., area and beyond are closing early on Friday or not opening at all.
Centered on Washington, D.C., where it is expected to begin dumping 1 to 3 inches of snow per hour over a 24-hour period this afternoon, the blizzard will extend north as far as New York City, according to the Associated Press, and could continue all weekend.
Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia also will be affected, forecasters say in news reports.
The federal government is closing its D.C. area offices at noon, the Office of Personnel Management has announced, and the city’s train system also will be shutting down over the weekend.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is closing at noon, according to its web page, and an online notice says “Paper filings due January 22 will be timely filed on the next open business day.”
In Maryland, many state courts are closing by 2 p.m. or earlier, and the state law library will close at noon Friday and remain closed Saturday, a state courts website says.
In Virginia, the supreme court’s administrative offices were closed Friday and many state courts are either closing early or will not be open at all on Friday, according to Fox 5 News and the Virginia Gazette.
The weather is expected to delay numerous flights, and airlines are allowing passengers scheduled to fly over the weekend to rebook without a fee, the AP reports.
Other businesses and schools, of course, will be affected, too, although it isn’t clear from news reports whether many BigLaw firms are officially closing. Above the Law says Sidley Austin is closing its D.C. office at noon and is polling readers to determine how other law firms are responding.
There was some good news: Sledding on Capitol Hill, which has been banned for years, will be allowed, pursuant to an act of Congress. Buried in an appropriations bill OK’d last month is language directing capital police not to enforce the ban, the Washington Post (reg. req.) reports.
