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Author: Peter Bigelow

Holidays ordinarily mean relaxation. But for attorneys who haven’t done their homework checking the court’s rules, holidays can mean missed deadlines, unhappy clients, and potentially malpractice.

It is widely known that courts close on legal holidays, which affects matters such as filing deadlines and statutory time periods. For major holidays, there’s likely no problem—a reasonable attorney knows off-hand that a filing deadline falling on Christmas Day will shift to an earlier or later day to account for the holiday court closure. But courts also close for lesser known religious holidays and regional holidays. These nonobvious holidays can lull attorneys into a false state of relaxation.

Did you know state courts in Massachusetts and Maine observe Patriots’ Day on the third Monday each April, commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord?[1] Not to be outdone, Vermont’s courts commemorate a Revolutionary War battle by observing Bennington Battle Day on August 16.[2] Vermont state courts also observe Town Meeting Day, a local election day, on the first Tuesday in March.[3] If an attorney new to these courts didn’t know of these unique holiday observances, he or she could miscalculate a deadline, costing the client dearly.

Attorneys who practice in a single state aren’t free from this risk either, because courts within the same state don’t always observe the same holidays. Alabama Circuit Court holiday schedules are a good illustration. In 2025, the Thirteenth Circuit Court, serving Mobile County, closed on March 3 and 4 for Mardi Gras.[4] The Twenty-Eighth Circuit Court, for Baldwin County, closed for Mardi Gras as well, but only on March 4.[5] However, the Twenty-Eighth Circuit Court also closed for Good Friday, a holiday the Thirteenth Circuit Court did not observe.[6] The Eighteenth Circuit Court, for Shelby County, observed Good Friday like the Twenty-Eighth Circuit Court, but did not observe Mardi Gras.[7]

More complications come from the fact that federal courts in a given state might not observe the same holidays as state courts. This is the case with each U.S. District Court in the states discussed above: the U.S. District Courts in Massachusetts and Maine do not observe Patriots’ Day[8]; the U.S. District Court in Vermont does not observe Bennington Battle Day or Town Meeting Day[9]; and none of the U.S. District Courts in Alabama observe Mardi Gras or Good Friday.[10]

Not even all federal courts observe the same holidays as each other. Although the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit does observe Mardi Gras, as does the Gulfport division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, the other divisions of the Southern District of Mississippi do not.[11] The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida added the Friday after Juneteenth to the typical federal holiday schedule.[12] The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada, conversely, expressly noted that it would be open the Friday after Juneteenth.[13] Unsurprisingly, there’s a unique federal court holiday schedule in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. That court, in addition to federal holidays, observes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Puerto Rico Constitution Day, and Discovery of Puerto Rico Day.[14] Federal courts are generally more uniform in holiday schedules than state courts, but certainly are not fully uniform, so federal-practice attorneys must be familiar with the holiday schedules of their relevant courts.

Finally, an additional layer of complexity in the holiday schedule puzzle comes from one-off observances, such as the National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter, which was observed on January 9, 2025. One-off court closures are particularly complicated because they add a court closure that is not observed annually, likely not listed on the court’s standard holiday schedule, and are not always uniformly observed. The National Day of Mourning for President Carter was observed by the Eastern District of Virginia[15] and the Western District of Texas,[16] but not by the Southern District of Alabama,[17] which remained open.

The need to be aware of various court holiday schedules will only grow as the practice of law becomes more multijurisdictional. Missing a deadline because an attorney was unaware of a court’s holiday schedule reflects poorly on that attorney’s competence at the very least, and at worst it can be fatal to a case. Knowing and planning around niche legal holidays not only saves an attorney from hot water but also demonstrates to clients the attorney’s attention to detail. In an ever competitive legal market, seemingly small things like this set an attorney apart.

The key takeaway is this: don’t assume any holiday is observed by any given court, and always assume that any given court might observe a holiday known by few people outside the courthouse. Always check the local rules, the relevant rules of procedure, and relevant administrative or general orders to determine the specific court’s holiday schedule. Taking these steps can enable attorneys to enjoy the relaxation that holidays should bring.

About the Author

Peter Bigelow,
Senior Associate

Peter is a successful litigator and skilled legal writer who is experienced in many aspects of commercial litigation. Follow him on LinkedIn here.

[1] The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “Trial Court Legal Holidays,” https://www.mass.gov/info-details/trial-court-legal-holidays (last visited Sept. 14, 2025); State of Maine Judicial Branch, “Court Holidays Observed,” https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/schedules/holidays.html (last visited Sept. 14, 2025).

[2] Vermont General Assembly, “The Vermont Statutes Online Title 1 : General Provisions Chapter 007 : Legal Holidays; Commemorative Days,” https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/01/007/00371 (last visited Sept. 14, 2025).

[3] Id.

[4] Mobile County Commission, “Mobile County Legal Holidays Fiscal Year 2024-2025,” https://www.mobilecountyal.gov/pdf/meetings/agendas/FY2024-25HolidayCalendar.pdf (last visited Sept. 14, 2025).

[5] Twenty-Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama, “2025 Baldwin County Circuit Court Schedule,” https://baldwin.alacourt.gov/media/vkbhpz1q/2025-court-calendar.pdf (last visited Sept. 14, 2025).

[6] Compare Twenty-Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama, supra note 5, with Mobile County Commission, supra note 4.

[7] Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama, “State Holiday Schedule – 2023,” https://shelby.alacourt.gov/state-holiday-schedule-2025/ (last visited Sept. 14, 2025). Note that although this website title lists 2023 as the year, the holidays listed on the page are 2025 dates.

[8] The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, “Court Calendar,” https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/general/calendar.htm (last visited Sept. 14, 2025) (noting that the Court is closed on federal holidays); The United States District Court for the District of Maine, “General Order Establishing 2025 Holiday Schedule,” (Aug. 7, 2025), https://www.med.uscourts.gov/news/general-order-establishing-2025-holiday-schedule (indicating that the Court is closed on federal holidays as well as on November 27, 2025, and December 24, 2025).

[9] The United States District Court for the District of Vermont, “Court Holidays and Closings,” https://www.vtd.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-holidays (last visited Sept. 14, 2025) (noting that the Court is closed on federal holidays).

[10] The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, “Court Holidays,” https://www.alnd.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-holidays (last visited Sept. 14, 2025); The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, “Calendar,” https://www.almd.uscourts.gov/calendar (last visited Sept. 14, 2025); The United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, “Court Holidays,” https://www.alsd.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-holidays (last visited Sept. 14, 2025).

[11] See The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, “Clerk’s Office Hours of Operation,” https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/about-the-court/general-information/hours-of-operation (last visited Sept. 14, 2025); The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, “U.S. District Court Southern District of Mississippi 2025 Holiday Schedule,” https://www.mssd.uscourts.gov/sites/mssd/files/holidays.pdf (last visited Sept. 15, 2025).

[12] See The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, “In re: Court Closure on Friday, June 20, 2025,” (May 23, 2025), https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/sites/flsd/files/adminorders/2025-32.pdf; The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, “Court Hours / Holidays,” https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/court-hours-holidays (last visited Sept. 14, 2025); U.S. Office of Personnel Management, “Federal Holidays 2025,” https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/#url=2025 (last visited Sept. 14, 2025).

[13] The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada, “Office Closures – Juneteenth National Independence Day,” https://www.nvb.uscourts.gov/news-rss/announcements/2025/0606-juneteenth/ (last visited Sept. 14, 2025).

[14] The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, “Notice from the Clerk 24-15: Year 2025 Holidays Observed by the Court and Its Dependencies,” https://www.prd.uscourts.gov/news/notice-clerk-24-15-year-2025-holidays-observed-court-and-its-dependencies (last visited Sept. 14, 2025).

[15] The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, “Order of Closure for National Day or Mourning,” (Dec. 31, 2024), https://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/sites/vaed/files/Closure%20on%201-9-25%20for%20National%20Day%20of%20Mourning%20for%20President%20Carter.pdf.

[16] The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, “General Order,” (Dec. 31, 2024), https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Order_Closing_January_9_2025.pdf.

[17] The United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, “Regarding the National Day of Mourning for President Carter,” (Jan. 2, 2025) https://www.alsd.uscourts.gov/news/regarding-national-day-mourning-president-carter.