Courts Stall Most Federal Environmental Cases Amid Government Shutdown

Federal courts are agreeing to most Justice Department (DOJ) requests to pause proceedings in an array of lawsuits involving EPA and other federal agencies, citing the lapse in funding and statutory furlough requirements, though some judges are making exceptions for particularly pressing cases. Many DOJ employees, along with support staff in EPA and other agencies, are statutorily barred from working during a shutdown unless they are performing narrowly defined critical functions, and DOJ has cited those requirements to justify pausing...