Federal Courts Open in New York City

As The Third Branch went to press, the federal courthouses in Manhattan were opening for business for the first time following the terrorist attack that closed most of the area surrounding the courts.

On September 11, at the urging of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of New York, all federal buildings in lower Manhattan closed. These included the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse, home to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, which houses the District Court for the Southern District of New York; the Alexander Hamilton Custom House with its bankruptcy courts; and leased space near the World Trade Center. During the closure, filings were accepted at the district court divisional offices in White Plains, New York. Information on the status of the courts was posted at http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/ throughout the week.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, during the week of September 17, 2001, heard oral arguments Thursday at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and on Friday of that week at 40 Foley Square. While the court was accepting documents for filing, phone service was still dis- rupted.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in Foley Square reopened Tuesday, September 18, for previously scheduled and emergency matters only. The courthouses at 500 Pearl Street and 40 Centre Street also reopened. The White Plains courthouse was open for business as usual.

The U.S. Court of International Trade located at One Federal Plaza in New York, opened for business for all purposes Wednesday, September 19.

While the courthouse buildings were structurally unaffected by the collapse of the WTC, there was no phone service and, for several days, power was intermittent. Most concern, however, focused on environmental conditions potentially affected when the collapse of the towers and other buildings sent dust and debris into the air. However, under the supervision of the General Services Administration, air monitoring was performed in all the government-owned buildings and air quality was found to be within acceptable levels. Air filters in the buildings were changed.