U.S. District Court of Maryland Local Rules (December 1, 2025)
and sequestration of jurors and witnesses, and any other matters which the Court may deem
appropriate for inclusion in such an order.
RULE 604. SUSPENSION OF RULES
For good cause shown, the Court may, in a particular case, suspend the provisions of any
of these Rules upon application of a party or upon its own motion and may order
proceedings in accordance with its direction.
RULE 605. AMENDMENT OF RULES
1. Regular Procedure
The Court shall consider proposed amendments to these Rules at least every three (3)
years. Any person may submit proposed amendments to the Chief Judge. Any such
proposals will be reviewed by the Rules and Forms Committee of the Court which will
recommend to the Court as a whole any amendments which it believes should be adopted.
At least ninety (90) days prior to the proposed effective date, the Court will cause to be
published on the Court’s website notice of the substance of any amendment (subject to
public notice and comment) which a majority of the members of the Court have agreed
should be adopted. The Clerk shall maintain for public inspection copies of any proposed
amendments. Any member of the public may submit comments on a proposed amendment
to the Chief Judge within thirty (30) days of the first public notice of the proposed
amendment or such later date as may be set by the Court. The Court will take final action
upon the proposed amendments after giving consideration to any such comments which
have been submitted. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, the effective date of any
amendment shall be July 1st of the year in which it is adopted.
2. Expedited Procedure
When the Court determines that there is an immediate need to implement either a new
rule or an amendment to an existing rule, including a technical, clarifying, or conforming
amendment, the Court may adopt the rule or amendment without complying with the
procedure set forth in L.R. 605.1. If such a rule or amendment is adopted, public notice of
it shall be given promptly after its adoption, and it shall be submitted for public
consideration in accordance with L.R. 605.1 during the next regular amendment cycle.
RULE 606. CIVILITY
The Court expects all of its judges and all counsel to conduct themselves in a
professional and courteous manner in connection with all matters pending before the Court.
