Government Granted Delay in Filing Section 301 Remand Response

The U.S. Court of International Trade granted DOJ's motion for a one-week deadline extension to Nov. 4 in the Section 301 cases to file its response to the plaintiffs’ comments on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative remand results, said an order Monday in docket 1:21-cv-52 at the U.S. Court of International Trade. Good cause exists for the one-week delay, said DOJ. Though “we have been working diligently” to complete the response by the original deadline, “several logistical challenges” make it impossible to do so, said the filing. The importance of the case requires that the government’s response “must undergo a heightened level of internal review, and this review process has taken longer than anticipated,” it said. Another extenuating factor is that one of the lead DOJ attorneys, Jamie Shookman, recently sustained an injury “that impacted her ability to work on our brief,” it said. Akin Gump attorneys for lead plaintiffs HMTX Industries and Jasco Products told DOJ they would not oppose the seven-day deadline extension if they could extend to Dec. 5 from Nov. 14 their own deadline for replying to the government to accommodate international travel and other court commitments, said DOJ. The court agreed to the new deadlines.