Federal courts close on eleven holidays in 2027, and three of them fall on a weekend, which means the day the court is actually closed is not the day printed on the calendar. That gap is where deadlines get missed. A filing due on a day the clerk’s office is closed does not become late, it rolls forward, but only if you count it right. This page lists every 2027 federal court holiday with its observed date, explains the rollover rule that moves your deadline, and works through three real date examples so you can check your own calendar against them.
The Complete 2027 Federal Court Holiday List
Federal holidays are fixed by law in 5 U.S.C. 6103, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes the dates federal offices actually close each year. Federal courts follow that schedule. The table below gives the legal date of each holiday and the day the courts are closed in 2027.
| Holiday | Legal date | Courts closed (observed) |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday, January 1, 2027 | Friday, January 1, 2027 |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Monday, January 18, 2027 | Monday, January 18, 2027 |
| Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day) | Monday, February 15, 2027 | Monday, February 15, 2027 |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 31, 2027 | Monday, May 31, 2027 |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | Saturday, June 19, 2027 | Friday, June 18, 2027 |
| Independence Day | Sunday, July 4, 2027 | Monday, July 5, 2027 |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 6, 2027 | Monday, September 6, 2027 |
| Columbus Day | Monday, October 11, 2027 | Monday, October 11, 2027 |
| Veterans Day | Thursday, November 11, 2027 | Thursday, November 11, 2027 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 25, 2027 | Thursday, November 25, 2027 |
| Christmas Day | Saturday, December 25, 2027 | Friday, December 24, 2027 |
| New Year’s Day 2028 (observed) | Saturday, January 1, 2028 | Friday, December 31, 2027 |
That last row is easy to miss. New Year’s Day 2028 falls on a Saturday, so for most federal employees it is observed on Friday, December 31, 2027. That gives the calendar year 2027 twelve observed days off, even though the law names only eleven holidays for the year. If a deadline of yours lands on December 31, 2027, the court is closed that day.
The Three Holidays That Move in 2027
OPM’s rule is short. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, most federal employees get the preceding Friday off. When it falls on a Sunday, they get the following Monday. In 2027 that rule moves three holidays:
Juneteenth, June 19, is a Saturday. Courts close Friday, June 18, 2027. A deadline counted to Saturday, June 19 does not sit still on the weekend; it rolls to the next open day, which is Monday, June 21, unless the rollover lands on something else first.
Independence Day, July 4, is a Sunday. Courts close Monday, July 5, 2027. This is the one that catches the most people, because a deadline that lands on Monday, July 5 looks like an ordinary Monday on a wall calendar. It is not. The court is closed, and the deadline moves to Tuesday, July 6.
Christmas Day, December 25, is a Saturday. Courts close Friday, December 24, 2027. Anything due that Friday rolls to Monday, December 27, and anything due on Christmas Day itself rolls the same way.
The other eight holidays fall on weekdays and are observed on their legal dates. Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11, is the only one of the eleven that stands alone midweek without creating a long weekend.
How a Holiday Moves Your Deadline
The rule that does the moving is FRCP 6(a)(3) for district-court deadlines and FRAP 26(a)(1) for appeals. Both say the same thing in plain terms: when the last day of a period is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday, the period keeps running until the end of the next day that is none of those things. The day you start counting from is never counted; the last day is the one that matters. Our FRCP deadline guide walks through the full counting method, including the trigger day and the weekend rule.
Two points about that rule trip people up. First, a holiday in the middle of your counting period does nothing. Only the last day matters. If your 30 days run from June 1 to June 30 and Juneteenth falls on June 19 in the middle, the deadline is still June 30. Second, the rollover can chain. If the next day after your deadline is itself a holiday, the deadline keeps rolling. A 30-day appeal deadline that lands on Sunday, January 16, 2028 rolls to Monday, January 17, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2028, so it rolls again to Tuesday, January 18. Count the chain, not just the first step.
Electronic filing does not change any of this. CM/ECF accepts a filing on a holiday, and a filing timestamped on the holiday itself is timely if the deadline is that day. The rollover is a safety net, not a requirement to wait. But if you file in person, or if the court requires a paper filing, the holiday closes the door and the rollover is the only thing standing between you and a late filing.
Worked Examples: Deadlines That Land on 2027 Holidays
Example 1: the 21-day answer deadline and July 4. You are served with a complaint on Monday, June 14, 2027. A federal answer is due 21 days after service under FRCP 12(a)(1)(A)(i). Counting forward with the trigger day excluded, day 21 is Monday, July 5, 2027, the observed Independence Day holiday, and the court is closed. The deadline rolls to Tuesday, July 6, 2027. File by the end of July 6 and the answer is timely. Our federal answer deadline guide covers the 21-day rule and the waiver-service variations.
Example 2: the 28-day post-judgment motion and the Christmas week. Judgment is entered on Friday, June 11, 2027. A motion to alter or amend the judgment under FRCP 59(e) is due no later than 28 days after entry. Day 28 is Friday, July 9, 2027. July 5 sits in the middle of the period, but a holiday in the middle does not move anything, so the deadline stays July 9. Contrast that with a judgment entered Friday, December 17, 2027: the 28-day deadline is Friday, January 14, 2028, and the December 24 and December 31 holidays in the middle again change nothing.
Example 3: the 30-day appeal deadline and a double rollover. Judgment is entered on Friday, December 17, 2027. A civil notice of appeal is due 30 days after entry under FRAP 4(a)(1)(A). Day 30 is Sunday, January 16, 2028, so it rolls to Monday, January 17, 2028. But January 17, 2028 is the third Monday of the month, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday, so it rolls once more to Tuesday, January 18, 2028. That is the deadline. Anyone who stopped at the first rollover and filed on Monday would have filed on a day the court was closed. See our federal appeal deadline guide for the 30-day rule and the 60-day rule when the United States is a party.
If you would rather not count by hand, run the trigger date through our legal deadline calculator. It applies the weekend and holiday rollover for you, so the date it returns is the date the court expects.
What Counts as a “Legal Holiday”
For federal deadlines, a legal holiday is not just the eleven on the OPM list. Under FRCP 6(a)(6), it also includes a state holiday in the state where the district court is located, and any other day the court declares closed. That means a deadline in a Texas federal court can roll on a Texas state holiday that a New York federal court would ignore, and a court that closes early or entirely for a local reason can move a deadline too. Always check the local rules and the specific court’s holiday schedule, not just the federal list. State courts run on their own calendars entirely; a federal holiday does not close a state court unless that state observes it, and many state courts sit on Columbus Day and Presidents’ Day.
The reverse also holds: a day that is a holiday for federal employees is not automatically a holiday for your deadline if the court is open. The definition turns on whether the court is closed for the transaction. When in doubt, the safe move is to file a day early and treat the rollover as a backup, not a plan.
Mistakes That Cost People Cases
The most common mistake is counting to the legal date instead of the observed date. A filing due June 19, 2027 is not due on a Saturday; it is due Monday, June 21, and a filing on Friday, June 18 would be early, not late. The second mistake is the opposite: assuming the observed date is the deadline when the legal date is a weekday. Christmas is observed Friday, December 24, but a deadline that falls on Friday, December 24 rolls to Monday, December 27; it does not stay on the 24th.
The third mistake is forgetting that the rollover only helps at the end of the period. A 14-day deadline that starts on June 21 and ends July 5 rolls to July 6, but a 14-day deadline that ends July 6 is unaffected by July 5 sitting in the middle. And the fourth mistake is treating a state-court deadline like a federal one. If your case is in state court, this list is a starting point, not the answer; check that court’s own calendar. Missing a deadline is one of the fastest ways to lose a case outright, and our missed court deadline guide explains what relief, if any, is still available after one passes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are federal courts closed on all 11 federal holidays in 2027?
Yes. Federal courts close on every holiday listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. When one falls on a weekend, the court closes on the observed weekday instead.
Is June 18, 2027 a federal court holiday?
Yes, as the observed date for Juneteenth. Juneteenth itself is Saturday, June 19, 2027, so under the OPM rule the preceding Friday, June 18, is the day federal offices and courts are closed. A deadline landing on Friday, June 18 rolls to Monday, June 21.
Is July 5, 2027 a federal holiday?
Yes, as the observed date for Independence Day. July 4, 2027 is a Sunday, so the following Monday, July 5, is the observed holiday and federal courts are closed. A deadline due Monday, July 5 rolls to Tuesday, July 6.
Is December 31, 2027 a federal court holiday?
Yes. New Year’s Day 2028 falls on a Saturday, January 1, 2028, so it is observed on Friday, December 31, 2027. Federal courts are closed that day, which makes it the twelfth observed day off inside the calendar year 2027.
Does a holiday in the middle of my deadline period extend it?
No. Under FRCP 6(a)(3) and FRAP 26(a)(1), only the last day matters. A holiday in the middle of the period is counted like any other day. The deadline moves only when the last day itself is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, and then only to the next day that is none of those.
Do state courts follow the federal holiday schedule?
Not necessarily. State courts set their own calendars. Many close on the same federal holidays, but some sit on days like Columbus Day or Presidents’ Day, and some observe state-specific holidays the federal courts ignore. Check the specific court’s published calendar before relying on this list for a state-court deadline.
This article is general information only, not legal advice. Court schedules can change by local rule or emergency order, so confirm the specific court’s calendar before relying on a date. If a deadline is close, file early.