Some of the United States judges are hitting against US justice department’s efforts barring lawsuits amid President Donald Trump’s announcement of government partial shutdown, which head in its sixth day.
Judged are arguing in courts across the country that the lawyers are barred from working even volunteering, from the day Trump refused to sign on a temporary funding which was passed by the US congress, because congress did not fulfilled Trump’s plan to fund $5 billion for a border wall between the US and Mexico.
According to news reports, in one of the case, the US district Washington judge Randolph Moss has denied a request of government to delay its briefing deadlines, challenging Trump and its new restriction on immigrant’s movement seeking political asylum.
On Thursday, Moss wrote: “Government functions may continue when they relate to the safety of human life or the protection of property.”
The judge presented a government report which indicates a large number of the federal government’s immigration workers with 91 percent of customs and border protection workers should be working during government shutdown.
During recent days, justice department lawyers were asking judges to delay cases across the country.
To response a request filed on December 26 in a lawsuit in San Diego, the US said: “Although we greatly regret any disruption caused to the court and the other litigants, the government hereby moves for a stay of all deadlines” until funding resumes.”
According to reports, chief US district judge James Bredar called the partial shutdown a “dispute internal to one party” and also directed justice department “to find the means by which to continue their participation in this litigation on a timely basis regardless of their client’s internal issues”.
In December 26 order, Bredar wrote: “Deeply serious matters involving the safety and well-being of the citizens of Baltimore are at issue in this case, and the court is determined that implementation of the previously entered consent decree will not be impaired or delayed by this sort of collateral issue.”
However, the Trump administration has filed a notice on December 26, appealing court to reverse judge’s order halting it from implementing an asylum restriction on the Mexico border.
In some cases, targeting Trump’s policies from immigration to the health care, argued that cases should be continued as planned, even during government shutdown, as they impacts public safety and therefore are exempted from federal rules which has barred official employees from working during shutdown scenarios.
Dozens state attorneys general opposed government’s request to delay a January 2 deadline for the crucial join filling in Obamacare related lawsuit.
They said: “Indeed, that disruption was both the anticipated and the intended purpose of defendants’ rule-making.”. The Department of Labor, the defendant said, “Should not be delayed in moving forward with their litigation of this critical case.”