The 2025 US Government Shutdown: What It Means for Federal Litigation
The shutdown’s effect on federal court proceedings is in flux. For now, most litigants should expect business as usual in the nation’s courthouses, at least in private civil matters. As of October 6, 2025, federal courts remain open and are drawing on non-appropriated funds to continue operations. But the federal judiciary has warned that if it exhausts those funds, it may have to reduce operations to essential functions. The Administrative Office of the US Courts released a statement indicating that existing funds will last until at least October 17 . After that, should the shutdown remain in effect, impacts on the judicial system may grow and will likely vary by jurisdiction. In prior shutdowns, disruptions were kept to a minimum, but that is because most shutdowns did not last significant amounts of time. During the 2018–19 shutdown (the longest in history, at 34 days) , courts ultimately shifted to essential-only staffing, which caused additional delays at the district c...