Federal Courts Regrouping After Hurricane Katrina

Three federal courts are making plans to restore full operations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which closed three federal court facilities in New Orleans.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which handles appellate cases from Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, was forced from its primary home in the John Minor Wisdom U.S. Courthouse.

The appeals court is in the process of relocating to Houston for three months, and then relocating to Baton Rouge. More than 80 employees of the circuit clerk's office will transfer to Houston, along with 14 members of the circuit executive's staff, several staff attorneys and nine automation employees.

The appeals court will not reopen for business in Houston until September 14. All filing deadlines on or after August 24 through September 30 are automatically extended until October 3, 2005. For more information, check the appeals court's web site at www.ca5.uscourts.gov/news/news/CourtInformation-09022005.htm.

Also closed by the hurricane was the courthouse that is home to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Judges and others who work in that courthouse are relocating to three sites – Houma in the Eastern District, Baton Rouge in the Central District, and Lafayette in the Western District.

Preparations coordinated by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts are underway to move about 60 district court judges and employees to Lafayette, where the federal Judiciary has leased space. About 35 persons will be relocated in Houma, and about a dozen in Baton Rouge.

Filing deadlines in the district court have been suspended. For more information, check the court's web site, www.laed.uscourts.gov.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana also lost its home when the federal building it occupied was flooded. About 35 members of that court family are being relocated to Baton Rouge, where they will share work space with the bankruptcy court for the Middle District of Louisiana. To check about filings in that court, go to its web site, www.laeb.uscourts.gov.

A special problem exists for the district and bankruptcy 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.

In the Southern District of Mississippi, the federal courthouse in Gulfport was closed due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. That courthouse may be closed for several weeks.

In the Southern District of Alabama, a federal courthouse in Mobile has reopened and is accepting filings, although it is experiencing problems with its communications system.