Federal judges urged by DOJ lawyers to stay civil cases because of government shutdown
Federal judges are being asked to stay civil cases because of the government shutdown caused by the budget impasse.
Prosecutors throughout the country started filing requests for extensions of time yesterday, explaining that they will be prohibited from working, even on a voluntary basis, except for what one filing characterized as “emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property,” the Blog of Legal Times reports.
“At the end of the day on September 30, 2013, the appropriations act that had been funding the Department of Justice expired and appropriations to the Department lapsed,” wrote Department of Justice Antitrust Division lawyers Mark Ryan and Ryan Danks in a stay request (PDF) in a high-profile airline case in Washington, D.C. “The Department does not know when funding will be restored by Congress.”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “In event of shutdown, federal courts will stay open at least 10 business days”
ABAJournal.com: “ABA President Silkenat condemns shutdown, says Congress should ‘end the scorched-earth tactics’”
