Federal courts to remain open through Oct. 17

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's federal courts, including the Supreme Court, have enough money to stay open at least through Oct. 17 if there is no resolution to the budget stalemate in Washington. The Supreme Court announced last Thursday it would stay open through Friday, Oct. 18, including hearing two days of arguments this week. Lawyers involved in those cases had already said they expected them to go on. The high court also said it expected "normal operations" to continue, which includes allowing tourists into the building before and after arguments. As for the rest of the federal courts, the judiciary's administrative office said the judiciary may be able to make it to the end of this week because of severe restrictions on spending imposed in anticipation of the government shutdown. If the courts do run out of money, all non-essential work will end. A limited number of workers will perform essential work as determined by each court, while all others will be furloughed. Published: Mon, Oct 14, 2013