The chief judge for the Northern District of Illinois, which includes the Stanley J. Roszkowski U.S. Courthouse in Rockford, has announced that court employees will stop being paid and court operations will be reduced starting Oct. 18 because of the federal shutdown
Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall released the statement on Friday.
In the statement, Kendall explained that the court will go into Phase 2 of operating during a lapse in appropriations, with Phase 2 including payment stoppages and only performing “excepted” duties required to avoid violations of the Antideficiency Act, which covers constitutional functions and emergency circumstances.
The Clerk’s Office will be staffed at 78% of authorized levels.
“I am concerned that the lack of appropriation will create delays in the court’s ability to ensure timely justice. Furthermore, 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,” Kendall said in the statement.
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The court has been in Phase 1 since Oct. 1, at which time all civil litigation involving the United States of America as a party has been paused. The court entered an order staying all deadlines in all civil cases involving the United States as a party, with limited exceptions, according to the statement.
The Administrative Office of the United States Courts has notified all courts that they have sufficient funds to continue to pay petit and grand jurors. Trials and grand jury sessions will continue as scheduled until fees for jurors have been exhausted.
Corina Curry is the editor of the Rockford Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Federal courts in Rockford, Chicago impacted by shutdown
