How the Microsoft outage impacted courts and governments
Courts and governments worldwide felt the impact of this week's Microsoft outage, which sidelined work and stymied communication. Why it matters: When Microsoft's popular workplace software went offline Thursday, it meant an extended lunch break for some offices — but for the courts and governments, it raised questions about the vulnerabilities of the technology underpinning justice and…
The recent Microsoft outage wreaked havoc on courts and government operations across the globe. As the software that powers many work environments went down, emergency requests and communications were put on hold. The state of Maine's judiciary warned that urgent protection order filings via email may have gone unnoticed. Lawyers in multiple cases reported issues, including the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers seeking an extension in a case involving Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) over President Trump's actions.
The delay prompted the DOJ to request a deadline extension. Meanwhile, a U.K. criminal trial had to be postponed, with a Manchester judge acknowledging the danger of relying on digital systems. International police forces urged citizens to seek help through traditional channels instead of online forms. The Supreme Court of the Philippines also confirmed it was affected by the outage.
Experts caution that while courts generally have backup plans, urgent situations require alternative communication methods. The incident highlighted the critical role of traditional backup systems in ensuring the continuity of justice and governance.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
