4. Interdivisional Filing
U.S. District Court of Maryland Local Rules (December 1, 2025)
2. Format of Court Documents
a) Caption
The case caption on all court documents shall contain only a short title, consisting of the
names of the first plaintiff and the first defendant only, and the civil action number. This
Rule shall not apply to the original complaint (which shall contain the names and addresses
of all parties and the county of residence of any Maryland party) or any pleading seeking to
add a new party (which shall contain the short caption and the name and address of the
parties sought to be added and the county of residence of any Maryland party sought to be
added).
b) Margins, Spacing, and Numbering
All documents filed with the Court shall not exceed 8 1/2” x 11”, with a one-inch
margin on all sides. Lines of text for all documents, including correspondence, shall be
double-spaced except for quotations and footnotes. Pages shall be numbered at the bottom
of every page after the first page. Typed or printed material shall appear in at least 12-point
font size for text and at least 10-point font size for footnotes in Times New Roman or larger
typeface. Documents may not be handwritten unless the filer did not have the ability to
submit typed or printed material.
c) Legibility
No document shall be accepted for filing unless it is legible.
3. Issuance of Subpoenas in Self-Represented Cases
The Clerk shall not issue any subpoena under Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(a)(3) to any self-
represented litigant without first obtaining an order from the Court authorizing the issuance
of the subpoena. Before entering any such order the Court may require the litigant to state
the reasons why the subpoena should be issued, and the Court may refuse to authorize
issuance of the subpoena if it concludes that the subpoena imposes undue burden or
expense on the person subject to the subpoena or upon the U.S. Marshal or other court
officer who would be required to serve it under 28 U.S.C. § 1915, or is otherwise inconsistent
with the requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 and 45(d).
4. Interdivisional Filing
Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, any pleadings, motions, memoranda or other
documents may be filed in either division and, if such filing is made within any applicable
deadline, shall be deemed to be timely.
