District of Columbia Local Rules and Judge Filing Requirements

Pro hac vice motion must include a detailed declaration and a certificate of good standing from the state bar.

3 days before guilty plea hearing, submit plea agreement, elements, factual proffer, penalty consequences, aggravated felony notice, and superseding indictment if applicable.

When the standing order is docketed before defendants appear, plaintiffs must provide it with or promptly after service of the complaint.

Court strictly enforces LCvR 7(h) for summary judgment motions; facts not controverted are deemed admitted.

In civil cases, parties must arrange and provide their own interpreters; the court does not supply them.

Respondent must answer charges within 30 days after service.

Joint Pretrial Statement must be filed at least 10 business days before the pretrial conference.

Opposition to extension/continuance motions must be filed by 5:00 PM the next business day, or the motion may be deemed conceded.

All filing and discovery deadlines for the United States are extended by the length of the appropriations lapse plus 10 days (or plus 5 days if lapse is 7 days or fewer).

The time period from March 17, 2020 through May 11, 2020 is excluded in criminal cases under the Speedy Trial Act.

Technical equipment tutorial required 5 days before trial

For telephonic proceedings, parties must contact Courtroom Deputy at least one business day in advance.

Emergency telephone contact with chambers is allowed only when all counsel and pro se parties are on the call.

For emergency TRO applications outside business hours, notify the Clerk during business hours if possible.

Telephone contact with Chambers generally prohibited except for emergencies.

Preferred A5 coil-bound; accept 3-ring binders up to 2-inch.

Electronically issued court documents bear an electronic signature and do not require handwritten signature; docket entries without attached documents are official.

Each numbered row in the statement may contain only one undisputed factual assertion.

Paper exhibits should be OCR-processed for text-searchability

Counsel must use formal titles for all witnesses, including clients; first names/nicknames prohibited.

Grand jury related motions and papers must be filed under seal, assigned a GJ case number, and assigned to the Chief Judge; hearings are closed; papers may be made public only by court order.

Protective order coverage alone is insufficient justification for sealing.

As soon as practicable after filing the motion, the moving party must deliver two paper copies or an electronic copy on a secure electronic device to the Clerk's Office, packaged as the Clerk's Office prescribes.

Protective orders alone insufficient for sealing; must confer with opposing party and provide results in motion to seal.

When seeking to seal, parties must submit both unredacted version for sealing and a proposed redacted version for public docketing.

Cases will be rescheduled if Court is closed or delayed due to weather or emergency.

Reciprocal discipline proceedings may be deferred if the underlying discipline is stayed; motions for reconsideration or certiorari do not justify deferral absent good cause.

Opposition to extension/continuance must be filed by 5 PM next business day or motion is deemed conceded.

The government has until December 21, 2020 to respond to Exhibit A motions and until January 28, 2021 to respond to Exhibit B motions.

Extension motions must be filed at least four days before deadline, not by stipulation; explanation required if compliance impossible.

Pre-motion conference required for dispositive motions; 4-page notice and 1-week response required.

Before filing any nondispositive motion, counsel must discuss the motion with opposing counsel in a good-faith effort to determine opposition and narrow disagreements; duty also applies to non-incarcerated pro se parties.

Discovery-related motions require a prior telephone conference with the Court and opposing counsel.

Court may strike statements of material fact that do not conform to rules or comply with instructions.

Sur-replies require prior leave of the Court.

Documents not in a format for electronic filing or illegible when scanned may be maintained by the filer and made available upon request, with a Notice of Filing.

Petitions for admission are accepted via PACER.

Highly Sensitive Documents (HSDs) must not be filed on the Court’s CM/ECF system and must instead be filed with the Court under the procedures in the Order.

Pro se litigants must file documents in paper form; electronic filing is not available to them.

Pro se parties must file documents in paper form; electronic filing is not available to them.

Service of pre-initial appearance criminal documents must be in paper form, as provided in FRCP.

Parties seeking relief from this order must serve the government attorney and the Civil Division by email at USADC.ServiceCivil@usdoj.gov.

Counsel must serve pro se parties in paper form.

A removing defendant must promptly ensure all parties receive a copy of the Standing Order.

Service on pro se parties must be in paper form.

Motions in limine are limited to 20 pages per side.

Memoranda in support of objections or responses are limited to 45 pages; reply memoranda are limited to 25 pages, without prior court approval.

Motions for reconsideration limited to 10 pages and only when FRCP 59(e) or 60(b) requirements are met.

Defendant must answer or file Rule 12 motion within 21 days of transfer.

Support/opposition memoranda limited to 45 pages; reply memoranda limited to 25 pages.

Joint Pretrial Statement requires ECF filing and courtesy copies to chambers.

Two courtesy copies required for submissions over 50 pages.

Courtesy copies required for sealed submissions on filing day.

Moving party must deliver 2 courtesy copies of motion papers to chambers

Courtesy copies should not be provided unless requested by the Court.

A fee determined by the Court must accompany the petition for admission, in addition to the statutory oath and certificate fee; current law clerks are exempt.

Cash payments not accepted; credit cards and personal checks accepted. Restitution payments may be made online.

Pending motions must be refiled within 7 days of transfer or deemed withdrawn.

All motions in limine must be bundled into one omnibus motion per side.

Junior attorneys (under 7 years) may increase likelihood of oral argument if they played substantial role in filing/witness preparation.