Partners Alex Hastings and Fred Gallo spoke with Law360 about the potential impacts that the General Services Administration’s reduction in leases could have on the federal judiciary. Alex commented on the influence the executive branch could wield over the judiciary.
“Can the executive influence the judiciary by something as simple as office space? That’s an interesting question. It’s a point of leverage between executive and judicial,” Alex said.
Fred explained that some federal leases may be more difficult or expensive for the government to terminate.
“For more recent leases especially, with a long firm term still in place, terminating would not be a savvy decision [by the government] based on the potential damages. But for an older vintage lease where you’re in the extension term, they have to look more carefully,” Fred said. He also noted that major lease cancellations could have a larger impact than anticipated.
“There could be significant ripple effects,” he said.