Federal courts are closed on Juneteenth every year, and in 2026 that closure falls on Friday, June 19. Whether your state or local court closes is a separate question that depends on whether the jurisdiction recognizes Juneteenth as an official holiday. If you have a hearing or a filing deadline near June 19, the answer changes what you need to do.
Federal Courts Are Closed
Juneteenth National Independence Day is a legal public holiday under federal law, so every federal courthouse in the country closes on June 19.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 Holidays That means no scheduled hearings, no trials, and no walk-in clerk services. The rule applies uniformly to district courts, bankruptcy courts, and appellate courts.
Individual federal courts publish their own holiday calendars that follow the federal schedule, and some add extra closure days by administrative order of the chief judge. Those extras are court-specific, so a quick look at your particular court’s calendar is worth doing.
State Courts Depend on the State
State courts follow their state’s holiday calendar, not the federal one. According to a 2024 Congressional Research Service report, at least 30 states and the District of Columbia have designated Juneteenth as a permanent paid or legal state holiday, and the number has been rising since Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021. Roughly 18 to 20 states still had no official provision as of that report.
In states that recognize the holiday, state courthouses generally close on June 19. In states that don’t, state courts typically operate on a normal schedule. If you have business in both a federal court and a state court in the same city, one can be dark while the other is open.
Local Courts Keep Their Own Calendars
Municipal and county courts sometimes follow a schedule different from the state’s. A county court might observe Juneteenth even where the state hasn’t made it official, or a local court might stay open while state courts close. Don’t assume a local court matches the state court in the same county. If you need to appear at or file with a specific local court around June 19, confirm that court’s schedule directly.
When June 19 Falls on a Weekend
In 2026, Juneteenth is a Friday, so the holiday and the observed closure fall on the same day. In other years, the standard federal rule governs: if June 19 lands on a Saturday, federal courts close the preceding Friday; if it lands on a Sunday, they close the following Monday.2U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Federal Holidays June 19, 2027 is a Saturday, so federal courts will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 18 that year. The observed date is what controls closures and deadline calculations.
What “Closed” Actually Means
A Juneteenth closure is not a total shutdown. Regular business stops, but courts still handle genuine emergencies. Judges remain available on rotating duty schedules for matters that can’t wait, including emergency protective orders in domestic violence cases, temporary restraining orders, and initial appearances for people arrested over the holiday.
Electronic filing systems like CM/ECF stay accessible around the clock, holidays included. You can submit filings electronically on June 19 and the system will timestamp them, but court staff won’t process anything until the next business day. If your filing needs immediate judicial review, it will sit until the courthouse reopens.
How the Closure Affects Filing Deadlines
Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Juneteenth is expressly defined as a legal holiday for computing time. When a filing deadline falls on Juneteenth, it automatically rolls to the next day that isn’t a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.3Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 6 – Computing and Extending Time; Time for Motion Papers In 2026, a deadline landing on Friday, June 19 shifts to Monday, June 22.
The same treatment applies in federal criminal cases and appeals. Both the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure define Juneteenth as a legal holiday and use the identical roll-forward logic.4Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 45 – Computing and Extending Time5Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 26 – Computing and Extending Time Whatever type of federal case you’re in, the holiday extension works the same way.
There’s a separate backstop. If the clerk’s office is physically inaccessible on the last day for filing, for any reason, the deadline extends to the first accessible day that isn’t a weekend or holiday.3Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 6 – Computing and Extending Time; Time for Motion Papers Because electronic filing usually stays online during holidays, this provision matters most for filings that require physical delivery.
State deadline rules vary. Most states have their own time-computation rules, and states that recognize Juneteenth as a legal holiday will generally extend deadlines falling on June 19 in the same way. In states that don’t recognize the holiday, deadlines run normally. Check your state’s rules of civil procedure to see how legal holidays affect time calculations there.
How to Confirm Your Court’s Schedule
The reliable way to know whether a specific court is closed is to check that court’s official website. Most courts post their holiday calendars prominently, and federal courts often publish administrative orders listing any extra closure days. A search for the court’s name plus “holiday schedule” will usually surface it.
If the information isn’t online, call the clerk’s office before the holiday. Clerks handle these questions routinely and can tell you whether the court is closed, what emergency procedures apply, and how electronic filing is handled during the closure. For any deadline near Juneteenth, the safest move is to file early rather than rely on the automatic extension.