Federal courts grind to a halt as shutdown drags into another week
Source: Courthouse News Service
October 20, 2025
WASHINGTON (CN) — The federal judiciary on Monday joined the growing list of government agencies and institutions affected by the government shutdown, which threatens to stretch through the end of the month as lawmakers remain far from a deal to end it. And though federal judges will stay on the bench despite bottlenecked judicial operations, staffing cutbacks may force delays in court cases nationwide and overload the public defender system — impacts lawmakers warn will restrict Americans’ access to justice.
Since last month’s partisan breakdown in Congress triggered the government shutdown, judicial operations have been spared from the largest impacts of the appropriations lapse thanks to funding from court fees and other sources separate from the judiciary’s congressionally appropriated budget. But that stopgap cash dried up on Friday, and court work slowed to a halt through the weekend.
Until lawmakers reach an agreement to fund the government, the judiciary will only operate in a limited capacity to fulfill its “constitutional functions,” the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said in a statement Friday.
During the shutdown, court staff will only be able to perform certain duties permitted under federal law, including constitutionally mandated judicial activity and “activities necessary for the safety of human life and protection of property.” Staff who remain on the job for those responsibilities will do so without pay, the judiciary said — others will be furloughed.
Read more: https://courthousenews.com/federal-courts-grind-to-a-halt-as-shutdown-drags-into-another-week/