The 2025 US Government Shutdown: Impact on Court Operations
Federal funding lapse could slow filings and hearings as US courts shift schedules and staffing. As of October 20, 2025, the federal judiciary’s funding lapse is now disrupting day-to-day court operations. After exhausting fee balances and other non-appropriated funds, several US trial-level courts began reducing activity on Fridays — and in some instances closing courthouses entirely for the day. The changes underscore a new phase of constrained court-by-court decision-making that will shape how filings, hearings, and staffing are handled in the coming weeks. For example, the Eastern and Southern District Courts of California and the District of Arizona have designated all staff as essential in order to manage heavy caseloads and minimize disruptions to court operations. By comparison, the District Court of Rhode Island has instituted a four-day workweek, which will necessarily slow cases. Similarly, the Middle District of Alabama has closed its courthouses on F...