Kevin Muhlendorf Discusses Impact of Government Shutdown on Federal Court System

January 16, 2019

Kevin B. Muhlendorf, partner in Wiley Rein’s White Collar Defense & Government Investigations Practice, was quoted by Bloomberg Law in a January 12 article about the impact of the government shutdown on the federal court system.

The federal court system is due to run out of money on January 18, as the partial government shutdown continues, according to Bloomberg Law. With tens of thousands of cases filed in U.S. District Courts alone in the first half of 2018, the article paints a picture of how broadly the system will be impacted by unpaid personnel, including FBI agents, federal prosecutors, public defenders, and court reporters.

Department of Justice attorneys working without pay will have to cover their own travel expenses, with reimbursements being paid at a future date, according to Bloomberg Law.

“Travel is being messed up and reimbursements are becoming a problem,” said Mr. Muhlendorf. He added that, in some cases, trial attorneys “are not getting paid and they’re not getting reimbursed. I would think that would make it much harder to do the job.”

To read the article, click here (subscription required).