A lot of helpful information has been surfacing over the past few days as a potential government shutdown looms large. Frankly, I can’t even wrap my head around how far-reaching the impact of a shutdown will be. Rather than try to summarize it for you, here are the best websites and information we’ve found.  If you have more information that would be helpful for attorneys, please share it in the comments.

Judge Kathleen Gearin’s order, issued yesterday, keeps core government functions open in the event of a shutdown. Overview at Star Tribune, MinnLawyer Blog.

Minnesota Management & Budget’s website, BeReadyMN.com, can be monitored for bulletins and media publications. Currently, it looks like most information is posted under 2011 State Government Contingency Planning.

The Minnesota Secretary of State announced today that it will be open. It has also extended its hours today until 8:00 p.m.

The Minnesota Department of Health will post a list of approved critical services and contact information at their website, which will be updated periodically if there are any changes. In a letter sent to the MSBA Family Law Section yesterday, Steve Elkins, the State Registrar, said that if services are not approved as critical, and the office is closed, “phones and faxes will be turned off and mail will not be delivered. We will be unable to process requests for replacement birth records after adoptions or paternity actions. We will also not be able to process Father’s Adoption Registry searches nor registration applications of putative fathers.”

What will be open, closed: Star Tribune.

Shutdown FAQ: NPR (6/20/11).

If you have more information, please post it in the comments below.