District of New Jersey Local Rules and Judge Filing Requirements

Submission Notice must be filed on CM/ECF, but memorandum itself need not be.

A proposed order must be submitted with an application for a protective order.

A consent-based pro hac vice application must include a consent letter and required certifications, including local counsel's Local Rule 101.1(c) certification.

Parties must consult with Courtroom Deputy daily about exhibits.

Pro hac vice applications require adverse party consent and disclosure.

Failure to observe telephone courtesy results in exclusion from future telephone conferences.

Cannot justify conduct by claiming law clerk or deputy said so

Confidential settlement and discovery dispute letters may be emailed to chambers at AME_orders@njd.uscourts.gov.

In criminal cases, confidential information must be sent directly to Courtroom Deputy Alexus Wheeler at Alexus_Wheeler@njd.uscourts.gov.

Technology notification required 2 weeks before courtroom appearance.

Pre-motion letter must include basis and citations.

A pro hac vice application without consent must be filed as a formal motion.

Pre-motion letter (max 3 single-spaced pages) required before specified civil motions; adversaries have 7 days to respond (max 3 pages).

If no pre-motion conference, party gets 7 additional days to file motion after Rule 12(a) deadline.

TRO requests require prompt hearing and pre-hearing conference.

Proposed jury instructions must be double-spaced, include footnoted citations to specific authority, and accurately quote cited authorities with pinpoint references.

Trial day scheduled 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM for jury matters.

Jury instructions, voir dire, and special verdict forms must be submitted to chambers in Word format simultaneously with filing.

Exhibits supporting a motion must be clearly labeled, dated, tabbed, and indexed; noncompliance may result in striking.

Exhibits must be marked with page numbers for quick access during screen sharing.

In limine motions are typically due 45 calendar days before trial.

Submitting a pre-motion letter tolls the motion-filing deadline; if the Court waives the conference, the party gets 5 additional business days to file.

Motion for Claim Construction must be filed concurrently with the Joint Claim Construction Chart.

Joint status letters must be submitted three calendar days before the status conference.

Reply letters must be filed within 5 days of non-movant’s response letter.

Discovery extension or amended scheduling requests must state current and proposed dates and whether the request is on consent.

Defense counsel must submit defendant's written agreement to continuance request at least 10 business days before sentencing.

Requests to cancel/postpone/reschedule hearings must be made at least 48 hours in advance unless an emergency exists.

Discovery must be completed within deadlines; extension requests must be made via letter before deadline expires.

Requests for excused absence must be in writing 3 days before conference.

Concise statements for summary judgment motions are limited to 1,750 words.

Unresolved discovery disputes must be presented by joint letter limited to five pages.

Pre-motion responses may not exceed 3 single-spaced pages, due 7 days after letter receipt.

Confidential settlement memoranda are limited to 10 double-spaced pages.

Parties must file a response to redaction access requests within two days, not exceeding 5 pages.

Paper copies of documents are not required unless specifically requested by the Court.

One courtesy copy is required for submissions over 20 pages and must be sent to chambers by mail or courier.

Two courtesy copies of trial materials due 45 days before trial.

One single-sided stapled courtesy copy of motion papers required, unless materials exceed one large binder (submit via USB instead).

For jury trials, litigants must send 2 courtesy copies to Chambers, tabbed and spiral bound, and also send a disc in Microsoft Word format, due 45 days before trial.

Redactions must be made before disclosure regardless of party agreement.

Sealed or sentencing materials may be emailed to Chambers if copying chambers email and filing a redacted version on CM/ECF.

Documents filed under seal must comply with Local Rule 5.1.

Settlement and discovery dispute letters under confidentiality order may be emailed to AME_orders@njd.uscourts.gov.

Confidential exhibits require a redacted public version and sealed unredacted version filed with the Court.

A Submission Notice must be filed via CM/ECF on the prescribed form; sentencing memoranda need not be filed on CM/ECF.

Non-confidential correspondence and written submissions must be electronically filed via CM/ECF, and fax is prohibited unless otherwise directed.

Compendiums of cases must not be filed electronically; a notice of service must be filed electronically.

If a continuance order is opposed, the moving party must file a motion on CM/ECF.

Pro se parties must file all documents, applications, and motions directly with the Clerk's Office.

All litigants must receive a contemporaneous copy of all correspondence sent to the Court.

Affirmative expert disclosures and reports must be served by the date specified in the scheduling order.

Exhibits must be circulated to all attorneys, witnesses, and the Court in advance of hearing or trial.

Settlement memoranda must be submitted via email to SDA_orders@njd.uscourts.gov.

Impeachment/rebuttal documents not marked as exhibits must be emailed to Court staff for screen sharing.

If multiple parties support or oppose an in limine request, they must combine their arguments into a single three-page submission.

Bulk exhibits are prohibited; exhibits must be filed separately.

Supporting documents must be docketed as attachments to the primary filing.

Out-of-town cases scheduled same as local cases.

Parties must refrain from filing summary judgment briefs until all briefing is complete, then file consecutively in order of moving papers, oppositions, replies.

Junior lawyers (first 6 years) encouraged to present arguments.

The Court encourages junior attorneys (under 5 years) to participate in proceedings and is more likely to grant oral argument if a junior attorney will argue; multiple lawyers may argue to allow junior participation.

Junior attorneys (first 6 years of practice) presenting argument may increase likelihood of oral argument, and more experienced counsel may assist if needed.

The court encourages parties to give less-experienced lawyers familiar with the issues and record a more active role in oral arguments.

The Court encourages junior attorneys to take an active role at hearings, especially where they substantially contributed to the underlying filing, provided a senior attorney ensures they are adequately prepared.