Chief Judge Holderman has instituted an operations plan in the event of a federal government shutdown.  The Northern District will operate normally for the first two weeks of any shutdown.  Should a shutdown continue longer than two weeks, the Northern District will operate with essential personnel as set forth by the United States Court’s Administrative Office.  Here is the full text of Chief Judge Holderman’s statement:

To the People of the Northern District of Illinois,

Please be assured that here in the Northern District of Illinois, Clerk of the Court Mike Dobbins and I have conferred and have developed a plan for our court to deal in the short term with the contingency now facing us of Congress failing to pass the federal budget or to authorize another continuing resolution.

We will keep the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois open and functioning with only minor modifications in our procedures for at least two weeks if Congress fails to establish a budget to keep the United States Government functioning. If the shutdown continues longer than two weeks, the court will continue to operate with essential personnel as defined by guidelines issued by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

We plan to continue to provide justice to the fullest extent possible and in the same excellent way as we have in the past. Thank you for your understanding.

Chief Judge James F. Holderman