TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Oct 23, 2025

While the federal judiciary has run out of funding, operations at Nashville’s federal court are not being immediately impacted, The Tennessean reports. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee will continue as scheduled and will accept new cases, though certain proceedings, like immigration ceremonies, will be limited. By contrast, the staffers, clerks and government lawyers, including federal public defenders and prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, will not be getting paid for the foreseeable future. The last paycheck for public defenders and court staff came Oct. 17, according to Dumaka Shabazz, federal public defender for the Middle District of Tennessee. Shabazz said that working without pay will have a “devastating” impact on his office’s morale.