UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL STANDING ORDERS
1. Conformity to Rules. Counsel are expected to consult and comply with all provisions of
the Local Rules and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure relating to motions, briefs,
continuances, and all other matters, unless specifically superseded by these Standing
Orders. Any failure to comply with any of the rules and orders may be deemed sufficient
grounds for monetary sanctions, dismissal, entry of default judgment, or other appropriate
sanctions.
2. Communication with Court. Counsel shall not attempt to make contact by telephone or
any other ex parte means with the Court or its chambers staff, but may contact the
Courtroom Deputy Clerk at (510) 637-3541 or by email at
[email protected]
with appropriate inquiries.
The Courtroom Deputy is unable to provide parties with updates regarding the status of
rulings. Parties are therefore advised to avoid contacting the Courtroom Deputy to make
such inquiries.
Counsel should list their email addresses as well as their telephone numbers on their
papers to facilitate communication with the Courtroom Deputy. All counsel listed on the
parties’ briefing must be fully apprised of the status of the pending matter and must be
authorized to respond to calendar settings by the Court.
With the exception of discovery disputes (see Standing Order ¶ 7) or by permission of the
Court, Counsel shall not submit letters to the Court. Any communication with the Court
must be on pleading paper, including but not limited to, status reports, requests for
continuances, and requests for telephonic appearances.
Scheduling days. Prior to noticing a motion, counsel shall check the scheduling
information on this Court’s website to confirm open and available dates. If the case in
which a party is noticing a motion is a related case, the parties must use the terminal digit
from lowest numbered case of the related cases for motion filing purposes.
Noticed days may be reset as the Court’s calendar requires, with order of call to be
determined by the Court. Motions shall be noticed in accordance with the following
times:
• Civil Law and Motion calendar and case management conferences are conducted
on Fridays at 9:00 a.m.
• Pretrial conferences are conducted on Mondays at 2:00 p.m. Trials are set to
commence on Mondays at 8:00 a.m. In general, jury selection takes place at 8:00
a.m. the Wednesday preceding the start of a trial.
Before appearing for a matter before this Court, all parties shall check the Court’s
calendar at https://www.uscourts.gov or the posting in the Clerk’s Office to confirm that
their matter is still on calendar.
3. Changes to Court Calendar. No changes to the Court’s schedule shall be made except
by signed order of the Court and only upon a showing of good cause. Parties seeking to
continue hearings, request special status conferences, modify briefing schedules, or make
any other procedural changes shall submit a signed stipulation and proposed order, or, if
stipulation is not possible, a Motion for Administrative Relief, as contemplated by Civil
Local Rule 7-11. Continuances will be granted only upon a showing of good cause,
particularly focusing on evidence of diligence by the party seeking delay and of prejudice
that may result if the continuance is denied.
Briefing schedules may not be changed by stipulation; the parties must obtain leave of
court and show good cause for such a request. Parties seeking to enlarge a filing deadline
by way of a Motion for Administrative Relief are admonished to file such a motion in
advance of the filing deadline, rather than on the day a brief or other matter is due.
4. Chambers Copy. Unless the Court directs otherwise the parties shall not submit
chambers copies of materials that are filed electronically. If the parties manually file an
item that is contained on some form of electronic media, e.g., a CD-ROM or a thumb
drive, they shall provide the Clerk with the original and shall provide the Court with a
copy of that electronic media.
5. Case Management Conference Statements. Joint case management statements are
required and must be filed seven (7) days in advance of the case management conference
date. Counsel shall conform to all elements requested in the “Standing Order for All
Judges of the Northern District of California – Contents of Joint Case Management
Statement.” See N.D. Civ. L.R. 16-9. In cases involving pro se litigants, the parties may
file separate case management statements.
6. Motions. Except for motions for summary judgment and claim construction briefs, all
briefs, whether in support of, in opposition to, or in reply to any motio may not exceed
fifteen (15) pages in length. The title page, indices of cases, table of contents, and
exhibits are not included in this page limitation. Notices of motion which contain
substantive argument are included in this page limitation.
All written text, including footnotes and quotations, must conform with the requirements
of Civil Local Rule 3-4(c)(2). All declarations shall be filed as separate documents.
Except for objections to requests for judicial notice or evidence submitted with a reply
brief, all evidentiary objections to evidence submitted shall be contained in the parties’
briefs. See N.D. Civ. L.R. 7-3(a), (c). If a party fails to comply with this requirement,
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the Court may not consider the objections. This Court will not apply Civil Local Rule 7-
3 to motions to exclude expert testimony. See id.
7. Discovery and Discovery Motions. Except as specifically set forth below, no motions
regarding discovery disputes may be filed without prior leave of Court.
After the parties have met and conferred, the parties shall prepare a joint letter brief of
not more than eight (8) pages explaining the dispute. Up to twelve (12) pages of
attachments may be added. The joint letter must be electronically filed under the Civil
Events Category of “Motions and Related Filings > Motions – General > Discovery
Letter Brief.”
Discovery disputes may be referred to a Magistrate Judge. If the Court refers discovery
disputes to a Magistrate Judge, the Magistrate Judge to whom the matter is assigned will
advise the parties of how that judge intends to proceed. The Magistrate Judge may issue
a ruling, order more formal briefing, or set a telephone conference or a hearing. After a
Magistrate Judge has been assigned, all further discovery matters shall be filed pursuant
to that Judge’s procedures.
If this Court retains supervision of discovery, the Court will then advise the parties if
additional briefing or a telephonic conference will be necessary.
If this Court has retained supervision of discovery, and if a dispute arises during a
deposition that involves a persistent obstruction of the deposition or a refusal to answer a
material question on the basis of any ground other than privilege or the work product
doctrine, counsel may arrange a telephonic conference with the Court through contact
with Chambers at (510) 637-1820. Any such conference shall be attended by the court
reporter recording the deposition.
8. Motions for Summary Judgment. All issues shall be contained within one motion,
shall not exceed twenty-five (25) pages in length, and shall conform with Civil Local
Rule 7-2. Absent of a showing of good cause, the Court will address only one motion for
summary judgment per side. Separate statements of undisputed facts will not be
considered by the Court. Joint statements of undisputed facts are not required but are
helpful if completely agreed upon. In the event parties intend to cross-move for summary
judgment, the Court strongly prefers a four-brief schedule.
9. Proposed Orders Required. Each party filing or opposing a motion shall also
electronically file and serve a proposed order that sets forth the relief or action sought and
a short statement of the rationale of decision, including citation of authority, that the party
requests the Court to adopt. The proposed order should be electronically filed at the same
time as the motion or opposition. A word version of the proposed order should be sent to
[email protected].
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10. Grounds for Recusal. Parties are directed to inform the Court of any and all reasonable
bases for recusal at the earliest possible date, and no later than the initial case
management conference. See also Standing Order on Recusal.
11. Service of Standing Orders. Plaintiff (or in the case of removed cases, any removing
defendant) is directed to serve copies of these standing orders at once upon all parties to
their action, and upon those subsequently joined, in accordance with the provisions of
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules 4 and 5, and to file with the Clerk of the Court a
certificate reflecting such service, in accordance with Civil Local Rule 5-6(a).
IT IS SO ORDERED
JEFFREY S. WHITE
United States District Court
3/2025 Rev.
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