The E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse houses both the federal court for the District of Columbia and the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
The federal judge assigned to the tribal #CARESAct lawsuit has scheduled a new hearing in the case in light of the Trump administration’s attempts to delay paying Indian Country its share of an $8 billion coronavirus relief fund.
The hearing takes place at 9:30am Eastern on April 23, 2020. Indian Country will be able to listen to the proceeding via telephone.
“Members of the public or media may access the hearing through the courts public access line: (877) 848-7030, access code 321-8747,” Judge Amit P. Mehta wrote in an order issue after the Trump administration failed to submit a brief on time in the case.
With his order, Mehta is letting the Trump administration skip the deadline. But the upcoming hearing will determine when the federal government’s response is due.
“The court will set a schedule for further briefing following a telephonic conference on April 23, 2020, at 9:30 a.m,” Mehta wrote.
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia is closed to the public as a result of the coronavirus so telephone lines have been provided for each judge.
The court recommends dialing in ahead of time in order to be able to listen.
“Due to technical limits on the number of dial-in listeners who may be accommodated, you may wish to establish your connection at least 10 minutes early to ensure access,” the court states on its website.