Judge Halts Shutdown Pay Dispute...Because of Shutdown

A lawsuit brought by federal Bureau of Prisons workers forced to work as essential employees will be put on hold until the government shutdown ends, the Court of Federal Claims said Jan. 16.

“The court appreciates the ironic circumstance that the very subject of this case also triggers the parties’ inability to proceed with the litigation. That said, neither the court nor the attorneys at the Department of Justice has the authority to change the present circumstances,” Judge Patricia Campbell-Smith said in her order staying the lawsuit.

The Justice Department has been asking courts across the country to stay ...