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Civil Motions: Hearing to be set by the Court, if necessary. The court clerk will notify counsel of the date and time of the hearing.
Criminal Motions: Hearing to be set by the Court. The court clerk will notify the parties of the date and time of the hearing.
Discovery motions are to be scheduled before the Magistrate Judge
Are tentative rulings issued? No
Are Mandatory Chambers Copies accepted by Court? Yes
Mandatory chambers copies may be dropped off at the Courtesy Copy Box in front of Courtroom 1600.
Procedures for filing an Ex Parte Application: A party submits an Ex Parte Application, with a declaration of notification to the other parties and a separate proposed order and the matter then stands submitted. If the Court wishes a hearing, the court clerk will contact all counsel with the date and time of the hearing.
To request a continuance of any scheduled court proceeding: The party(ies) must make the request in writing by either submitting a stipulation or ex parte application with a proposed order for the Court's signature; alternative dates should be cleared with the court clerk before submitting the document.
Are counsel allowed to contact the Judge's law clerks or secretary? No; all inquiries of any nature are to be directed to the court clerk, unless returning a phone call.
Inquiries regarding the status of a motion, stipulation or proposed order: Are to be made to the court clerk ONLY IN EXTREME SITUATIONS, otherwise the phone call will not be returned.
Calendar conflicts (procedures for attorneys to follow if they have a calendar conflict):
If a date is set by the Judge in court, counsel must promptly advise the Judge at that time of any conflicts; if the conflict has arisen later, counsel must promptly advise the court clerk by telephone. (The Court will work with the parties to arrange priority at the hearing or have the matter put at the end of the calendar.)
Procedures for bringing electronic equipment into the courtroom: None is allowed without prior written approval of Court; contact the court clerk. If approved, the party bringing the equipment will have to make arrangements with the U. S. Marshal's Office to bring the equipment into the building (use of loading dock, etc.)
To obtain a transcript of any reported or digitally recorded proceeding, please contact the assigned court reporter/recorder. To determine the court reporter/recorder for a particular proceeding, go to the Court Reporter Schedule web page and click on View by Date. Once you've determined the correct court reporter/recorder for the desired session, click on Court Reporter Phone and Email List for contact information.
Questions regarding law clerk / extern position shall be directed to the Judge's secretary.
Trial Preparation:
- Court hours: 9:00 A.M. to 12 noon; then 1:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M., for the jury; the parties are normally ordered present at 8:00 A.M. and are excused sometime after the jury is excused for the day.
Exhibit preparation: Pursuant to the local rules (the exhibits, except for physical exhibits, shall be in 3-ring binders, the original tagged set for the court clerk -- who will pass same to the witnesses -- and one set for the Judge.
Jury instructions: To be submitted in the form and time frames in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure and the local rules;
Verdict forms: The court clerk prepares the verdict form in criminal cases; in civil cases the plaintiff submits the proposed verdict form in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the local rules
Other: The parties shall come to court fully prepared, with the two sets of bound exhibits as described above; and also with three clean copies of their witness lists and three clean copies of their exhibit lists, all which shall be given to the court clerk before the start of court
Procedures for obtaining the services of an interpreter on a civil case: The party must hire a certified Federal Court interpreter, whether it be done through the Court's Interpreter's Section, or from some outside source.
Other: If the parties want copies of documents returned after signature and filing, extra copies of the document and self-addressed stamped envelopes must be provided, in addition to the blue-backed original and copy, for the clerk to conform and mail. The court clerk will not make copies of any documents for mailing to the parties. |