What a federal government shutdown means in Chicago
Ruben Castillo
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Ruben Castillo  told the Tribune on Friday that if the shutdown happens  the courts have enough money in reserve to keep operating normally into the first week of February.
âBut after that  thatâs where we run into problems â  he  said in a telephone interview. âWe would have to put together a contingency plan to figure out what we would need to do.â
 Castillo  said the first thing that would likely happen in a fiscal emergency would be to âshut down trials â particularly in civil cases.
Trials are expensive to run because jury pools have to be assembled and the courts pay travel and other expenses to jurors  sometimes for weeks at a time   he  said.
Other contingency plans include furloughing nonessential court employees and canceling criminal trials for defendants who are not in custody when there is no danger of violating the accusedâs constitutional right to a speedy trial   Castillo  said.
âYou end up triaging justice  and thatâs just not fair â  he  said.
Itâs not the first time  Castillo  has had to deal with this issue.  He  had been on the job for less than three months when the 2013 shutdown occurred.
 Castillo  told the Tribune then that if the stalemate hadnât been resolved   he  was prepared to send a doomsday email that would have halted all trials at the busy downtown courthouse because  he  had no more money to pay jurors and court-appointed attorneys or cover other costs of a trial. Officials in Washington had told  him  to give jurors IOUs for their service if necessary â something  he  refused to do.
[TGT] told the Tribune on Friday that if the shutdown happens  the courts have enough money in reserve to keep operating normally into the first week of February.
âBut after that  thatâs where we run into problems â  he  said in a telephone interview. âWe would have to put together a contingency plan to figure out what we would need to do.â
  [TGT] said the first thing that would likely happen in a fiscal emergency would be to âshut down trials â particularly in civil cases.
Trials are expensive to run because jury pools have to be assembled and the courts pay travel and other expenses to jurors  sometimes for weeks at a time    [TGT]   said.
Other contingency plans include furloughing nonessential court employees and canceling criminal trials for defendants who are not in custody when there is no danger of violating the accusedâs constitutional right to a speedy trial    [TGT]   said.
âYou end up triaging justice  and thatâs just not fair â  he  said.
Itâs not the first time   [TGT] has had to deal with this issue.   [TGT]   had been on the job for less than three months when the 2013 shutdown occurred.
  [TGT]   told the Tribune then that if the stalemate hadnât been resolved    [TGT]   was prepared to send a doomsday email that would have halted all trials at the busy downtown courthouse because   [TGT]   had no more money to pay jurors and court-appointed attorneys or cover other costs of a trial. Officials in Washington had told   [TGT]   to give jurors IOUs for their service if necessary â something   [TGT]   refused to do.