Federal funding lapse could slow filings and hearings as US courts shift schedules and staffing.
By Nicholas J. Boyle, Roberto J. Borgert, and Katherine Griffitts
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 Fridays and extended all deadlines that occur on Fridays. Federal courthouses in Alaska and Connecticut have followed suit and will operate at reduced staffing levels on Fridays. Litigants should expect further divergences between courts as the shutdown draws on.
While essential judiciary employees, such as law clerks, will be required to work without pay, reduced staffing may lengthen response times for routine administrative tasks, slow docketing and processing of court filings, and tighten chambers’ calendars.
