Imagine a major corporation engaged in various litigation both as plaintiff and defendant. For whatever reason, it decides not to pay its attorneys and instructs them not to interact with the Court lest they have a plausible claim on the corporation for their services. Then the corporation says to the Court, “We greatly regret any disruption caused to the court and to other litigants, but please stay all proceedings until we get our act together.” This does not constitute “good cause” for any stay. In fact, it is laughable.
— Judge William G. Young in a terse order denying the government’s request for a stay pending the end of the federal government shutdown. Judge Young, a Reagan appointee, offered a harsh critique of the DOJ effort to brand the shutdown as anything but “an abdication by the President and Congress… of the duty to govern responsibly….” Check out the full order here.

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UPDATE: Judge Young isn’t the only one telling the government to pound sand.