Due to security concerns, Chief District Judge John Tunheim has ordered the closure of the federal courthouses in Fergus Falls, Minneapolis and St. Paul on Tuesday, January 19 and Wednesday, January 20, 2021.  A copy of Chief Judge Tunheim’s order is available here.

While the federal courthouse in Duluth will be open on Tuesday, January 19 and Wednesday, January 20, the Bankruptcy Court Clerk’s Office in Duluth will be unstaffed on those days.  
 
All courthouses in the district will be closed Monday, January 18, 2021, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  
 
CM/ECF will be fully operational throughout this period.  All court staff will be working from home on Tuesday and Wednesday and can provide assistance by phone and email. 

Matters scheduled for hearing on Tuesday and Wednesday and which do not go by default will be handled telephonically or continued, as determined by each judge.   Direction to attorneys and parties will be provided.  
 
As a result of the closure of the buildings, phone requests for documents requiring pre-payment by credit card will be processed on Thursday, January 21 between 8 am and 4 pm, rather than Wednesday, January 20.  
 
Finally, Chief Judge Tunheim’s order extends deadlines for the filing of paper documents and payment of fees that would typically be submitted by mail or through the drop boxes in the clerk’s offices (i.e., filings by parties unrepresented by an attorney).  This extension does NOT apply to documents required to be filed or fees required to be paid by attorneys and represented parties through CM/ECF.