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Federal Courts Closed by Hurricane Katrina

Federal courts in three southern states remained closed Friday, due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Three federal courthouses in New Orleans were closed. So, too, were a federal courthouse in Mobile, Ala., and in Gulfport, Miss.

One of the New Orleans courthouses is the John Minor Wisdom U.S. Courthouse, primary home of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which handles appellate cases from Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. By Friday afternoon, no plan had been announced for relocating the closed Fifth Circuit court offices.

Also closed in New Orleans are the courthouse that is home to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Hale Boggs Federal Building, which houses the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

A special problem exists for those two courts. They currently have no jurisdiction – are not authorized to conduct court business – outside the geographic boundaries of the Eastern District.

The Judicial Conference of the United States, which makes policy for the federal courts, is asking Congress to pass emergency legislation to allow those courts to operate in another judicial district. The legislation would allow any court to do so when emergency circumstances require it.

Meanwhile, officials in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) and federal court officials from across the nation are taking steps to help the stricken courts. The AO's Emergency Preparedness Office is coordinating assistance efforts, which include providing alternative communications systems and emergency funding.