Court holidays can quietly extend time
So, when is your brief due? If you’ve ever answered, “It depends,” you already know why this topic matters: court closures don’t always follow the standard federal holiday list—and some AI-generated holiday lists overgeneralize (or hallucinate), conflating local days of commemoration with legal holidays that impact time calculations.
We’ve thoroughly researched and compiled this list of key state-level holidays to help you plan your 2026 filings effectively and calculate time accurately.
DISCLAIMER: We’re lawyers too, but we’re not your lawyers. This is a practical checklist based on our best research and information available as of February 2026—not legal advice. For the most up-to-date, accurate information on court holidays and closures, always check the website of your specific court or contact the court clerk.
2026 US federal court holidays
These are the nationwide federal court holidays you can reliably calendar for 2026. Many state and local courts also observe these dates (sometimes under different names), but state/local closures are governed by their own statutes, rules, or administrative orders—so confirm your specific court’s holiday calendar.
- New Year’s Day — Thu., Jan. 1, 2026
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Mon., Jan. 19, 2026
- Washington’s Birthday (Presidents Day) — Mon., Feb. 16, 2026
- Memorial Day — Mon., May 25, 2026
- Juneteenth National Independence Day — Fri., June 19, 2026
- Independence Day (observed) — Fri., July 3, 2026 (because July 4 is a Saturday)
- Labor Day — Mon., Sept. 7, 2026
- Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples’ Day) — Mon., Oct. 12, 2026
- Veterans Day — Wed., Nov. 11, 2026
- Thanksgiving Day — Thu., Nov. 26, 2026
- Christmas Day — Fri., Dec. 25, 2026
What about Executive Orders declaring a holiday?
Important: Days like the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve are not on the standing federal holiday list, but some courts still close by local policy (see details below) or by year-specific closure orders.
For example, in 2025, an Executive Order excused executive-branch employees on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, but that did not convert Christmas Eve into a permanent federal holiday. Courts may or may not follow executive-branch closures, so again, always check the court’s own holiday/closure notice for the most accurate information.
2026 State & local court holidays that commonly trip people up
This list is not exhaustive. It highlights recurring, high-impact closures we can verify from court/government schedules. The tricky part: some “holidays” are only recognized in certain districts, counties, or specific courts—and some clerks close even when the day is not a legal holiday—so always confirm your court’s posted closure calendar before finalizing a deadline.
January 2026 state and local holidays
- Robert E. Lee’s Birthday — Mon., Jan. 19, 2026 (Combined with MLK Day in Alabama and Mississippi)
February 2026 state and local holidays
- Lincoln’s Birthday/Lincoln Day — Thu., Feb. 12, 2026 (Not a federal holiday, but it is a listed court holiday in some jurisdictions—e.g., California state courts, the Connecticut Judicial Branch, and the New York State Unified Court System. It can matter for deadline-counting, so check your court’s posted holiday calendar.)
- Washington’s Birthday/Presidents Day — Mon., Feb. 16, 2026 (Florida some state courts close (e.g., 11th), while others remain open (e.g., 9th and 13th). Federal courts are closed.) Be sure to check with your specific court.
- Mardi Gras — Tue., Feb. 17, 2026 (Not a federal holiday.)
- Alabama: observed only in Baldwin & Mobile Counties
- Louisiana (federal): The Eastern District of Louisiana (and the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana) lists Mardi Gras as a local court holiday, while the Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana do not.
- Louisiana (state/local): Treated as a legal holiday under Louisiana law for clerks of court in many parishes, and some Louisiana courts list Mardi Gras as a court holiday (e.g., the Louisiana 4th and 5th Circuits), but others do not—so confirm the specific Louisiana court/parish calendar (e.g., LA 2nd Circuit’s 2026 calendar states Mardi Gras is not a court holiday).
March 2026 state and local holidays
- Texas Independence Day — Mon., Mar. 2, 2026 (Texas) Schedules often treat it as a “skeleton crew” holiday; don’t assume your court is open.
- Seward’s Day — Mon., Mar. 30, 2026 (Alaska)
- César Chávez Day — Tue., Mar. 31, 2026 (California) State courts, statewide judicial holiday
April 2026 state and local holidays
- Good Friday — Fri., Apr. 3, 2026 (Not a federal holiday; varies widely—check your specific court’s posted calendar. Verified closure/holiday: CT, DE, some FL (varies by circuit—e.g., 9th/11th/13th), HI, IN, KY, some LA (varies by court/parish—e.g., LA 4th/5th Circuits), NJ, NC, ND, PA, TN, WA, and some TX courts.
- Emancipation Day — Thu., Apr. 16, 2026 (Washington, D.C.)
- Patriots’ Day — Mon., Apr. 20, 2026 (Massachusetts, Maine)
- Confederate Memorial Day — Mon., Apr. 27, 2026 (Alabama, Mississippi)
May 2026 state and local holidays
- Confederate Memorial Day — Mon., May 11, 2026 (South Carolina)
June 2026 state and local holidays
- Jefferson Davis’ Birthday — Mon., June 1, 2026 (Alabama)
- West Virginia Day — June 20, but observed on Fri., June 19 in 2026, which is also Juneteenth (West Virginia)
July 2026 state and local holidays
- Pioneer Day — Fri., July 24, 2026 (Utah)
August 2026 state and local holidays
- Statehood Day — Fri., Aug. 21, 2026 (Hawaii)
September 2026 state and local holidays
- Rosh Hashanah — Fri., Sept. 11, 2026 (Florida) Varies by circuit/clerk; only if designated/observed by your court
- Yom Kippur — Mon., Sept. 21, 2026 (Florida) Varies by circuit/clerk; only if designated/observed by your court
- Native American Day — Fri., Sept. 25, 2026 (California)
October 2026 state and local holidays
- Columbus Day — Mon., Oct. 12, 2026 (Federal courts closed. Not a California state-court judicial holiday. Called Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Maine, Minnesota, D.C., New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and elsewhere.)
- Alaska Day — Oct. 18, observed Mon., Oct. 19, 2026 (Alaska)
- Nevada Day — Fri., Oct. 30, 2026 (Nevada)
November 2026 state and local holidays
- General Election Day — Tue., Nov. 3, 2026 (Hawaii, New York) Public holiday under NY law; many courts close—e.g., SDNY lists Election Day as a court holiday; still confirm your specific court’s calendar.
- Day After Thanksgiving — Fri., Nov. 27, 2026 — Common closure day; confirmed examples include: California courts, Maryland (called American Indian Heritage Day), South Carolina, Florida 13th and 11th Judicial Circuits, Kansas Judicial Branch, and even some federal courts, e.g., the District of Alaska. Best to check with your specific court.
December 2026 state and local holidays
- Christmas Eve / Day before Christmas — Thu., Dec. 24, 2026 (Varies widely, so check with your specific court. Confirmed closures in South Carolina, Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, and Arkansas.)
- New Year’s Eve / Day before New Year’s Day — Thu., Dec. 31, 2026 (Not a federal holiday. Some courts close (or close early) by local rule/order—so check your specific court’s posted closure notice. Verified examples of full-day closure/holiday treatment include some Florida courts, the Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal, and, at the federal level, SDNY.)
Common traps when calculating time—and how to avoid them
Federal time-counting includes certain state holidays—but not always
Under the federal rules, “legal holiday” includes (1) listed federal holidays, (2) days declared by the President/Congress, and (3) for periods measured after an event, certain state-declared holidays tied to where the court is located.
Year-specific presidential closure orders can also create one-off closures (for example, the 2025 Executive Order excusing executive-branch employees on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26). Don’t assume those repeat the next year—verify the court’s posted closure notice for your filing year.
Two key takeaways:
- If you’re counting forward (e.g., “14 days after service”), a qualifying state holiday can push the deadline.
- If you’re counting backward (e.g., “14 days before the hearing”), that same state holiday may not be treated as a “legal holiday” under the federal definitions—so you can’t safely “auto-extend” without checking accessibility/closure.
Common traps:
- Treating Christmas Eve or the day after Thanksgiving as federal holidays—they aren’t, even though some courts close.
- Assuming a one-time presidential closure order repeats the next year.
- Assuming a holiday applies to every court location—some closures are limited to specific localities (counties/parishes/circuits/districts), and clerk’s offices can add local closure days.
A closure can extend time, even when it’s not a “legal holiday”
If the clerk’s office is inaccessible on the last day (weather, local closure order, etc.), time can extend to the next accessible day, unless the court orders otherwise. This is why local court “holiday” lists matter, even when the day is not a federal holiday (e.g., local Mardi Gras closures).
California note: Diwali does not automatically mean court closure
California’s AB 268 recognizes Diwali as a state holiday for certain purposes, but it is excluded from designation as a judicial holiday—so don’t assume a filing deadline extends unless your clerk’s office is actually closed. Similarly, California’s Genocide Remembrance Day (Apr. 24) is a state holiday for certain purposes, but is expressly excluded from designation as a judicial holiday—so courts remain open unless a specific court posts a closure.
Less stressful filing deadlines
Before you calendar any deadline, confirm the court’s posted holiday/closure schedule for the filing jurisdiction—and double-check year-specific closure orders. If you want fewer last-minute surprises, TypeLaw can handle the formatting and filing-ready build (TOCs, bookmarks, hyperlinked cites…) of your briefs, motions, and appendices, so you can stay focused on the substance. And we can help you out of almost any deadline jam with fast, same-day service. Contact us to learn more.
