Federal Judges Clash With DOJ, Shutdown Threat Looms
Court orders DOJ silence, rejects Trump IG reinstatement, and warns judiciary funding at risk.
Washington, September 25 EST: Federal judges have had themselves a week, rebuking prosecutors, warning Congress they might run out of money, and rolling their eyes at excuses that wouldn’t pass in a high school classroom. From New York to Colorado, the courts are making it clear: procedure still matters, even when politics or chaos creep in from the outside.
Judge Warns DOJ Over Mangione Case
In Manhattan, Judge Margaret M. Garnett stepped in to tell the Justice Department to quit talking about the Luigi Mangione murder trial. Too many public comments, she said, risk poisoning the jury pool before the case even begins. According to Business Insider, she has ordered prosecutors to explain themselves by October 3 and hinted that sanctions are on the table.
This isn’t just about one briefing gone too far. The backdrop here is that DOJ remarks were circulating widely, amplified when Donald Trump shared them online. Once that happens, it is not just legal process, it is political fuel. Garnett clearly sees the danger in letting that go unchecked. Judges usually prefer not to shout, but when fairness is at stake, they do not whisper either.
Shutdown Clouds Judiciary’s Future
At the same time, the courts are staring down something far more practical: whether they can even keep the lights on. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said, as Reuters reported, that if Congress does not move on a funding patch, operations could stall after October 3.
Judges themselves cannot be furloughed, the Anti-Deficiency Act makes sure they get paid, but the clerks, officers, interpreters, and support staff who keep everything running do not have that guarantee. Take them away, and the whole system slows to a crawl.
There is precedent here. In the 2019 shutdown, courts tapped reserve funds for weeks before they hit the wall. This time, officials say, the reserves are thinner. Criminal trials will keep going, but civil matters from contract disputes to disability claims could sit idle indefinitely. That does not just inconvenience lawyers, it drags out real people’s lives.
Fired Watchdogs Lose Early Round
In Washington, Judge Ana Reyes ruled against eight former inspectors general who were hoping to get their jobs back after being pushed out under the Trump administration. The inspectors claimed their firings broke federal law, undermining the independence of watchdogs who are supposed to keep agencies honest.
Reyes did not dismiss their arguments outright, she even acknowledged the removals may have been improper, but she stopped short of reinstating them, saying the plaintiffs had not shown enough immediate harm. The Los Angeles Times notes the case will continue, but for now, those watchdogs remain sidelined. For advocates of oversight, it is another reminder that the courts move on their own timetable, no matter how urgent the politics feel.
No Luck With the Spam Folder Defense
And then there is Colorado. A conservative podcaster told the court he missed a filing deadline because the notice had gone to his spam folder. It did not fly. As Colorado Politics reported, the judge tossed the excuse aside, stressing that federal deadlines are hard rules. If you have a case, you are expected to keep up with it.
It is a smaller case, but the message lines up with what judges elsewhere are saying this week: procedure is not optional.
Pressure on Every Side
Step back, and a pattern emerges. Judges are trying to keep prosecutors in check, hold their institutions together during a budget crisis, and police the boundaries of executive power. At the same time, they are batting down sloppy filings and thin excuses.
It all underscores the same point: the judiciary is stretched, and the strain is visible. The shutdown fight could literally stop courts from functioning. Political commentary threatens to bleed into trials. Even basic accountability for government watchdogs is tangled up in legal uncertainty.
Still, what came through this week is a certain stubbornness from the bench. Judges may not control Congress or social media or public opinion, but inside their courtrooms, they are still drawing the lines and insisting those lines hold.
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Trained in war zones, raised in Newark, and seasoned in city hall, Jordan blends grit reporting with deep integrity. From floods to finance bills, they’re always first on scene and last to leave.
