A government shutdown could benefit Apple.

Amazon's trial is scheduled to begin in February 2027, with Apple's legal team preparing for depositions until January 2027. Judges in these cases have agreed to the government's request to suspend the trials until federal funding is restored. However, the shutdown will not affect the Google and Meta cases, which will proceed as planned.

In one of Google's cases regarding its search engine, Judge Amit Mehta denied the government's request for a pause, referencing that antitrust litigation continued during the 2019 shutdown. The case is awaiting Judge Mehta's final ruling on his earlier decision, which permitted Google to retain its Chrome Browser.

The ruling also restricts Google from entering exclusive agreements that require partners to exclusively use Google Search. Google can still pay Apple and Samsung billions to set Google as the default search engine on their devices. Judge Mehta will hold a hearing on October 8 to finalize his rulings, regardless of the government shutdown status.

Wayne State University law professor Stephen Calkins suggested Judge Mehta might want to conclude Google's case quickly. He stated that Mehta is close to finishing and wants it resolved before technology evolves, whereas the Amazon and Apple cases are in earlier stages.

The DOJ has another active case against Google concerning its alleged dominance in the online advertising market, but the judge denied DOJ attorneys' request to pause the court proceedings.

Judges have the option to suspend litigation. However, even during a shutdown, the FTC and DOJ must continue working on a case if a judge orders it. The FTC requested a suspension in the Amazon case, which concerns Amazon's alleged prioritization of its own products in its online store.

The Federal Judiciary system intends to keep courts open until at least October 17, using court fees and other funds not dependent on federal funding. During a five-week shutdown in 2018, the judiciary remained operational throughout.

Essential government workers, such as air traffic controllers, continue working during shutdowns but only receive backpay once funding resumes.

Vanderbilt University law professor Rebecca Haw Allensworth said that judges must consider fairness to both sides when deciding whether to proceed with a case during a shutdown, considering the amount of unpaid work required from government lawyers. "If you ask an entire trial team to go to trial on furlough, that seems pretty unfair," she said.

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