Effects of Shutdown Reach Supreme Court

The Supreme Court announced that its funding is running out this weekend because of the government shutdown. "If new appropriated funds do not become available, the Court will make changes in its operations to comply with the Anti Deficiency Act," spokesperson Patricia McCabe said, referring to the law that says agencies can't spend money that hasn't been appropriated by Congress, per the Guardian. Its building will be closed to the public, but essential operations—such as hearing oral arguments, issuing opinions, and processing case filings—will continue, the Hill reports.

Federal courts nationwide are expected to run out of money by Monday, the Administrative Office of the US Courts said Friday. While federal judges will keep working as required by the Constitution, most court staff members will be furloughed unless they are performing essential duties permitted under the law—work that will be done without pay. Jury programs and electronic case filing will continue for now. Courts can also finish limited additional work using leftover fee balances or other non-congressional funds over the weekend before the money is gone.

After that, each of the country's 94 federal judicial districts will decide which cases proceed and which are delayed, depending on local staffing and resources. With negotiations stalled in Congress, the shutdown that began Oct. 1, has no clear end in sight. The shutdown "will create delays in the court's ability to ensure timely justice," Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois warned this week. "The dedicated public servants, who allow those who seek redress prompt access to court, are now feeling the pain of their paychecks being suspended and facing difficult financial decisions to keep their families afloat because of the shutdown," she said in a statement.