GUIDELINES AND INFORMATION
FOR PRACTICE BEFORE HON. HALA Y. JARBOU
HONORABLE HALA Y. JARBOU
Chief United States District Judge
United States District Court
128 Chamberlain Federal Building
315 W. Allegan St.
Lansing, MI 48933
Telephone: 517-853-7360
Email:
[email protected]
Directory
Court Reporter ............................ 517-243-2695
[email protected]
Procedural Guidelines for Practice in Chief Judge Jarbou’s Courtroom
In order to better serve the attorneys and litigants appearing in Chief Judge Jarbou’s courtroom, we have
adopted the following protocols. Please advise your clients and staff so that there are no
misunderstandings.
Adjournments
All adjournment requests must come by either formal motion or stipulation. Parties should not assume
that these motions will be granted.
Calendar
The Case Manager is in charge of all calendar matters. All proceedings are set according to the Court’s
schedule. If you need a scheduling change, you must first reach agreement with opposing counsel and
then contact the Case Manager and file a stipulation and order. In situations where an opposing attorney
will not consent to the proposed change, the party requesting it should request the scheduling change by
formal motion.
Motions
• Emergency Motions: Parties filing emergency motions, including temporary restraining orders,
should telephone chambers at or before the time of filing to give notice to the Court. The Court
strongly recommends that parties provide as much advance notice as possible before filing a
temporary restraining order.
• Dispositive Motions: Dispositive motions must adhere to W.D. Mich. LCivR 7.2/LCrR 47.1. If
the dispositive motion is based on depositions, only those excerpts that are relevant to the motion
shall be filed. If the dispositive motion references answers to interrogatories as a supporting
document, then only those excerpts that are relevant to the motion shall be filed.
o Courtesy Copy: Pursuant to W.D. Mich. LCivR 7.2(b)(iii)/LCrR 47.1(b)(iii), a courtesy
copy of all dispositive motion papers, including responses, replies, and all accompanying
exhibits, is requested to be submitted directly to Chambers. The courtesy copy should
comply with the requirements listed in the local rules and must be hand delivered or sent
via first class mail to Chambers within twenty-four (24) hours of filing the original. All
submitted courtesy copies should be bound. There is no preference on the type of binding
as long as fasteners pass through the pages; paper clips and other types of clips shall not be
used.
o Oral Argument: Oral argument may be requested pursuant to W.D. Mich. LCivR 7.2(d)/
LCrR 47.1(d). The Court may schedule oral argument or may, in its discretion, dispose of
the motion without argument at the end of the briefing schedule.
• Non-Dispositive Motions: Non-dispositive motions shall be filed in accordance with W.D. Mich.
LCivR 7.3/LCrR 47.2. They may be referred to a Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§ 636(b)(1)(A). In accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 471 et seq., it is the policy of this Court to prohibit
the consideration of non-dispositive motions unless accompanied by a certification that the moving
party has made a reasonable and good faith effort to reach agreement with opposing counsel on
the matters set forth in the motion. See W.D. Mich. LCivR 7.1(d)/LCrR 12.4.
• Motions in Limine: Counsel must confer in good faith to resolve the disputed motions in limine
before filing. Motions in limine must be filed by the deadline set forth in the case management
order, or no later than twenty-one (21) days prior to the final pretrial conference. The Court will
not entertain additional motions in limine or deposition designations unless good cause is shown.
Sentencing Memoranda
All sentencing memoranda and letters for consideration should be filed with the court at least fourteen (14)
days prior to sentencing. See W.D. Mich. LCrR 32.2(g).
Trial
Further instruction can be found in the case management order.
• Location: Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, trials will be held at the above address in
Lansing.
• Schedule: Generally, the trial schedule will be Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00
p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; some trials may be scheduled to begin on Tuesday,
following the same schedule. Unless otherwise indicated by the Court, Counsel shall be present
in the courtroom one-half hour prior to the start of trial. There will be a break mid-morning and
early afternoon and a lunch break. This schedule is subject to the other demands of the docket.
Counsel should plan the availability of their witnesses accordingly so that trial can move
expeditiously. The courtroom will not be available to attorneys any earlier than 8:00 a.m.
• Exhibits: Counsel should stipulate to as many exhibits as possible before the trial date. Exhibits
should be marked prior to trial (Plaintiff – numbers; Defendant – letters). Counsel are responsible
for projection of exhibits at trial using their own computers and software compatible with the
Court’s electronic system. It is counsel’s responsibility to ensure their equipment works before
the trial date. The Court does not provide time during court proceedings to troubleshoot issues. If
needed, counsel is to arrange a time to come in and test courtroom equipment before the trial date.
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• Voir Dire: Voir dire will be conducted by both the Judge and the attorneys.
• Trial Briefs: Both parties are to submit trial briefs.
• Jury Instructions: Prior to the final pretrial conference, parties shall jointly file proposed jury
instructions. For civil cases, this court uses Western District of Michigan’s Standardized Jury
Instructions for the preliminary and final instructions.1 For criminal cases, this court uses the
6th Circuit Pattern Criminal Jury Instructions (West Publishing). Standard instructions shall be
submitted in the following form: full text, one instruction per page, double-spaced, completely
typed out with all blanks completed, ready for submission to the jury. Other non-standard
instructions shall be submitted in similar fashion and include reference to the source of each
requested instruction. Indicate objections, if any, to opposing counsel’s proposed instructions,
with a summary of the reasons for each objection.
Transcripts of Court Proceedings
If you would like to order a transcript of a court proceeding, please contact Chief Judge Jarbou’s Court
Reporter via e-mail at
[email protected]. Transcripts will not be prepared unless
ordered.
Courtroom Decorum
Anyone appearing in court should be dressed appropriately. Remove hats when in the courtroom. Cell
phones must be in the off position at all times. Any phone that rings or vibrates while court is in session
is subject to confiscation by the Court.
Updated 10/30/2025
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A copy of these instructions is available on the Court’s website (www.miwd.uscourts.gov). The instructions are located
within the Electronic Filing section, and you will need to use your E-Filing Login and Password to access them. Once you
have logged into the electronic filing section of the website, click Utilities, then select WDMI Attorney References and you
will see the link to the Standard Civil Jury Instructions.
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