Federal courts furlough some staff as money runs out; Supreme Court will close to the public
The federal judiciary ran out of money for full, paid operations Monday, according to an announcement by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. (Image from Shutterstock)
The federal judiciary ran out of money for full, paid operations Monday, according to an announcement by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
According to Bloomberg Law’s review of orders posted by more than half a dozen judges, some court locations will close one day per week, and some staff members will be furloughed. Other staff members will work without pay to perform essential functions, including core constitutional duties and criminal cases.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama is closing each Friday, while the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut will close its clerks’ offices on Fridays and furlough employees for that day, according to Bloomberg Law.
Federal judges will continue to receive pay because their salaries are protected by the Constitution.
Each court will decide which cases will continue and how probation and pretrial supervision will be conducted, according to an Oct. 17 press release from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Each court and federal defender’s office will determine the staffing that will be needed.
The U.S. Supreme Court has announced that it will close to the public, but it will continue hearing oral arguments, processing case filings and deciding cases, report Law.com and SCOTUSblog. Police and building support for essential operations will also continue.
PACER and its Case Management/Electronic Case Files system, known as CM/ECF, will continue to operate. Juries won’t be affected because they are paid by money that isn’t affected by the shutdown, the press release said. But at least two federal district courts have indicated that jury payments could be delayed, according to Bloomberg Law.
Federal courts continued to operate at full capacity between the Oct. 1 shutdown and Oct. 20 by using court fees and other funds that weren’t tied to congressional appropriations. Civil lawsuits involving federal agencies were affected during this period, however, because many federal agency employees have been furloughed, Reuters explains.
The last shutdown that led to court furloughs was during the Clinton administration, according to Reuters.
See also:
What are a federal judge’s concerns as the government shutdown continues?
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