Federal courts closed Friday for Juneteenth

Federal courts will be closed Friday, just one day after President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a paid federal holiday in recognition of the end of slavery.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and all four federal district courts in California posted messages on their websites within an hour of the signing ceremony. The date of the holiday falls on a Saturday this year so federal buildings are closed the day before.

At least one remote oral argument will continue as scheduled, a 9th Circuit spokesperson said.

Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, when federal troops told slaves in Galveston, Texas that President Abraham Lincoln freed them when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation nearly three years earlier. For another century, Juneteenth was mainly celebrated regionally and in Black communities.

Texas made it a paid state holiday in 1979. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia now recognize Juneteenth. Most do not make it a paid holiday for state workers, though several states have taken that step over the past two years. This does not include California.

An email from Judicial Council spokesman Peter Allen said making June 19 a paid state holiday would require legislation to amend the Civil and Governmental Codes. The state follows federal holidays, and also adds two dates in September: Sept. 9 is California Admission Day, and the fourth Friday of the month is marked as Native American Day. But the Legislature and governor must specifically write holidays into law.

Staff Writer Craig Anderson contributed to this report.