A government shutdown could disrupt some of the highest-profile litigation in the country in October — though not the federal criminal cases against former President Donald Trump.
Should Congress fail to pass spending legislation before Oct. 1, the federal courts will have enough funds to keep the doors open for a while, though many civil cases would taper off because of the shutdown’s effect on Department of Justice operations, according to a contingency plan published this week.
The plan states the Justice Department will exempt more than 84 percent of the department’s workforce, or more than 96,000 employees, from a shutdown furlough. That includes employees “necessary to protect life and property” like the Bureau of Prisons, Drug Enforcement Administration and others.
