The U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have begun implementing rolling furloughs for employees as the federal budget impasse stretches into a fourth week.
Although the government-wide shutdown began Oct. 1, the federal judiciary was able to maintain paid operations through Oct. 17 using court fee balances and no-year appropriations, according to court officials.
The courts will continue to operate for essential judicial functions, but staffing reductions are expected to affect administrative services, case processing times, and public access to certain programs. While criminal proceedings and matters involving public safety will continue, civil case scheduling and ancillary services may experience delays.
The CM/ECF electronic case filing system and PACER will remain online, ensuring continued access to case information.
The budget stalemate in Washington, D.C., has already caused widespread disruptions across federal agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which canceled scheduled interviews and naturalization ceremonies for October.
Court officials urged the public to remain patient and emphasized that full operations will resume once congressional funding is restored.
