Haven’t We Seen This Before?
It’s official. The United States courts are being affected by the government shutdown. It will be just like it was in 2018.
The resolution of many civil matters are being delayed, and probation is seeing clients via zoom call and phone appointments. All of these government offices are seeing reduced staffing on day-to-day operations.
One thing that will not change is the criminal trial process. If you’re on the docket for a criminal trial, you’re still going to face the music. You still need to plead, and you, unfortunately, are likely facing federal prison.
The federal government is also not delaying self reports.
These things are identical to the way the federal system looked in 2018 during the last major shutdown. Nothing about the criminal justice process is any more flexible or lenient than it is when the government is 100% functioning.
If you’re set with a court date and expecting to self-report, make sure you check in with your pretrial probation officer and/or the United States Marshal Service.