MINNEAPOLIS — Federal courts across the country are cutting back on cases because they're running out of cash.
Minnesota's Federal Courthouse is taking measures to keep the judicial system running in our state. To keep the system running, employees need to be paid.
Salaries have become the priority at the federal courthouse. But the question is - how much longer will their money last?
Chief Judge John Tunheim tells us that workers at the federal courthouse will start to go unpaid if the shutdown goes past Friday.
He calls this government shutdown "frustrating."
At this point, some lawyers are already furloughed.
The shutdown will not postpone criminal cases, because they are required to move forward by the law.
But Tunheim expects that some civil trials will be postponed.
To make sure that salaries get paid, the courthouse is minimizing expenses such as travel, training and other activities.
If workers are expected to work without a paycheck, Tunheim says it can get very difficult.
"You can't go on very long in that respect, because you know people have bills to pay," Tunheim said. "And the stress of wondering...when the shutdown is going to end is really rough on people.
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