INFORMATION and GUIDELINES
for Criminal Practice before
The Honorable Jane M. Beckering
United States District Judge
United States District Court
for the Western District of Michigan
Honorable Jane M. Beckering
601 Ford Federal Building
110 Michigan St., N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2363
Revised: September 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
I. Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
II. Motions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A. Dispositive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
B. Non-Dispositive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
III. Ex Parte Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
IV. Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
V. Transcripts of Court Proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
VI. Stipulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
VII. Guilty Plea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
VIII. Motions for Departure or Variance/Sentencing Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
IX. Final Pretrial Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A. Submissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
B. Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
C. Motions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
D. Matters to be Addressed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
X. Trial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
A. Courtroom Decorum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
B. Daily Schedule and Time Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
C. Recesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
D. Submissions for Jury Trial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
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E. Jury Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
F. Exhibits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Attachment 1 - Exhibit List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
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DIRECTORY
HONORABLE JANE M. BECKERING
United States District Judge
United States District Court
601 Ford Federal Building
110 Michigan St., N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2363
Telephone: (616) 456-2687
Judicial Assistant – Lauren Packard
Email:
[email protected]
Telephone: (616) 456-2687
Case Manager – Rick Wolters
Email:
[email protected]
Telephone: (616) 456-2351
Law Clerks – Rita Buitendorp
Stephen Mayer
Court Reporter – Jean Ann Hamlin
Email:
[email protected]
Telephone: (517) 881-9582
United States District Court Clerk’s Office
Ann E. Filkins, Clerk of Court
399 Ford Federal Building
110 Michigan St., N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2363
Telephone: (616) 456-2381
Electronic Filing Help Desk: (616) 456-2206
(800) 290-2742
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I. Calendar
The Case Manager is in charge of all calendar matters. If you need a scheduling change,
you must first reach agreement with opposing counsel and, if applicable, the probation officer
and/or interpreter, before contacting the Case Manager. Judge Beckering’s Case Manager, Rick
Wolters, may be contacted by calling (616) 456-2351 or by emailing
[email protected]. In situations where an opposing attorney will not consent to
the proposed change, the party requesting it should submit a CM/ECF filing, stating reasons for
the change.
Do not contact the Judge or her law clerks to request a scheduling change.
II. Motions
A. Dispositive
Dispositive motions shall be filed and heard in accordance with W.D. Mich. LCrR 47.1.
This Court will hear oral argument on dispositive motions where requested, and where it appears
that argument will be helpful. To request oral argument on a motion, state “ORAL ARGUMENT
REQUESTED” in the caption and the heading of the brief.
Courtesy Copy: Pursuant to W.D. Mich. 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.
In cases where counsel wishes to project evidence on the monitors in the courtroom,
projection of exhibits is accomplished by using the electronic evidence presentation equipment in
the courtroom. The evidence presentation allows for the projection of evidence on various
monitors located at the bench, the witness stand, the lectern, the jury box, and the counsel tables.
This technology eliminates the cumbersome process of handling paper evidence, and its use is
strongly encouraged. Counsel planning to use the equipment are required to contact the Court’s
IT department well in advance of their court proceeding to inquire about equipment, training, and
practice sessions. Practice sessions and testing of the equipment must occur prior to the day of a
scheduled court appearance. You may contact the Court’s IT department by sending an e-mail to
[email protected] or by calling (616) 456-2523. Information concerning the features
of the system are available at the court's website: www.miwd.uscourts.gov (click on Judges’
Info/Judge Jane M. Beckering/Courtroom Technology tab). Counsel is also required to notify
Chambers – in advance of the hearing – of their intentions to use technology resources in the
courtroom and coordinate the date and time of any practice sessions with Chambers.
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B. Non-Dispositive
Non-dispositive motions shall be filed in accordance with W.D. Mich. LCrR 47.2. They
will usually 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. LCrR 12.4.
III. Ex Parte Applications
Ex parte applications are disfavored and should be avoided except in the most extreme
circumstances. Where such rare cases arise, the party submitting the application must state in the
application that opposing counsel has been contacted in an attempt to resolve the situation through
normal motion practice and why such an option is unsatisfactory, or, why contacting the opposing
party would be inappropriate under the circumstances. W.D. Mich. LCrR 12.4.
IV. Orders
All proposed orders should be filed by means of the Court’s CM/ECF system. Unopposed
motions should include a proposed order.
V. Transcripts of Court Proceedings
If a transcript of a court proceeding is desired, Judge Beckering’s Court Reporter, Jean Ann
Hamlin, should be contacted directly by e-mail,
[email protected] or by
telephone at (517) 604-1732.
VI. Stipulations
All stipulations should be submitted by electronic filing for the judge’s approval with a
proposed order, or the stipulation itself can include the phrase ‟IT IS SO ORDERED” with a place
for the Judge’s signature and date.
VII. Guilty Plea
If the defendant anticipates entering a guilty plea, the plea should be scheduled at least one
week prior to the date of the final pretrial conference. Contact Judge Beckering’s Case Manager,
Rick Wolters, at (616) 456-2351 to schedule a change of plea hearing. If the signed plea agreement
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has been filed, but the defendant has not entered a guilty plea at least five (5) days before the final
pretrial conference, counsel remains obligated to timely file the final pretrial conference
documents.
VIII. Motions for Departure or Variance/Sentencing Memoranda
Not less than fourteen (14) days before the date set for sentencing, any party seeking an
upward or downward departure under the Sentencing Guidelines or a variance based on the
application of the factors set forth in18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), or both, must electronically file and serve
a separate and clearly captioned motion seeking such relief. All sentencing memoranda, including
memoranda in support of a motion for departure or variance, shall be electronically filed by the
same date. Counsel is strongly encouraged to electronically file a sentencing memorandum
in all cases. Any correspondence received by Chambers from defendant or from others with regard
to defendant’s character, will not be made a part of the record, nor be considered at the time of
sentencing unless submitted on behalf of defendant by a CM/ECF filing and attached to counsel’s
sentencing memorandum. See Administrative Order No. 07-031.
IX. Final Pretrial Conference
A. Submissions
1. At least five (5) business days prior to the final pretrial conference, each party
shall file:
a. Trial briefs (optional with defendant).
b. A joint statement of the case and statement of the elements of the charged
offenses. Unless the case is very complex, the joint statement of the case
should not exceed one paragraph. If the parties are unable to agree on the
language of a joint statement of the case, then separate, concise, non-
argumentative statements shall be filed. The purpose of the joint statement
of the case is to summarize the nature of the case. [In a jury trial, the
statement(s) of the case will be read to the prospective jurors during jury
selection. The elements of the charged offenses will be included in the
preliminary jury instructions.]
c. Proposed voir dire questions in jury trials. The Court will ask basic voir
dire questions. Counsel for the parties will be permitted to question
prospective jurors. Questioning by counsel shall not be repetitive of
questions asked by the Court or of questions asked in the juror
questionnaire.
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2. At least five (5) business days prior to the final pretrial conference the parties are
required to submit a copy of the joint statement of the case, statement of the elements
of the charged offenses, and proposed voir dire questions in jury trials in an editable
word processing format by e-mail to Judge Beckering’s Judicial Assistant, Lauren
Packard at
[email protected].
3. At least five (5) business days prior to the final pretrial conference, counsel shall
provide to the Court hard copies of any exhibits to which objections have been made.
Counsel for the party objecting is responsible for providing hard copies of the
objected-to exhibits to the Court.
B. Attendance
1. The attendance of defendant at the final pretrial conference is required.
C. Motions
1. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, all pending motions shall be heard at the time
of the final pretrial. Counsel shall refer to the criminal case management order
deadline for all Motions in Limine.
D. Matters to be Addressed at the Final Pretrial Conference:
1. Status of any plea negotiations.
2. Jury selection procedure.
3. Number of witnesses expected to be called and estimated length of trial.
4. Identity of all expert witnesses, and agreement (if possible) upon the qualifications
of expert witnesses.
5. Stipulations of uncontested facts.
6. Any evidentiary or other legal issues expected to arise at trial.
7. Admissibility of exhibits (if possible). The parties shall number and label their
exhibits for identification prior to the final pretrial conference. The government shall
use numbers [1-99]; defendant(s) shall use letters [A-Z]. Any party intending to
introduce into evidence summaries pursuant to FED. R. EVID. 1006 must make
available at or before the final pretrial conference copies of all such summaries and
duplicates of the supporting documents summarized.
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8. Jury instructions. This Court uses the Sixth Circuit’s Criminal Pattern Jury
Instructions (West Publishing).
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X. Trial
A. Courtroom Decorum
The purpose of this paragraph is to describe certain basic principles concerning courtroom
behavior and decorum. The requirements stated in this paragraph are minimal, not all-inclusive,
and are intended to emphasize and supplement, not supplant or limit, the ethical obligations of
counsel under the Rules of Professional Conduct or the time honored customs of experienced trial
counsel. These requirements apply to all counsel and all persons at counsel table.
1. This Court expects all attorneys and parties to act with courtesy and respect toward
everyone in the courtroom. Avoid disparaging personal remarks or acrimony toward
opposing counsel and remain wholly detached from any ill feeling between the
litigants or witnesses. Address all remarks to the Court, not to opposing counsel.
Refer to all persons, including witnesses, other counsel and the parties, by their
surnames and not by their first or given names.
2. Please be careful with the courtroom furniture. For example, do not put briefcases
with metal feet on the tables.
3. Stand near the lectern while examining a witness and making statements to the jury,
except that counsel may approach the clerk’s desk or the witness for purposes of
handling or tendering exhibits. The recording system picks up voices only when
they are speaking into a microphone.
4. Offers of, or requests for, a stipulation should be made privately — not within the
hearing of the jury.
5. Counsel shall admonish all persons at counsel table to refrain from making gestures,
facial expressions, audible comments, and the like, as manifestations of approval or
disapproval, during the testimony of witnesses or at any other time.
6. Cell phones or other electronic devices shall be in silent mode or turned off. The
Court reserves the right to take appropriate action for violation of this policy.
7. Water may be brought into the courtroom in appropriate containers. No other
beverages are allowed.
8. Gum chewing and eating are prohibited in the courtroom. Remove hats when in the
courtroom, unless worn for religious purposes.
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B. Daily Schedule and Time Frames
Generally, the trial schedule will be Tuesday 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 Monday, 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.
C. Recesses
At each recess, outside the presence of the jury, counsel will be asked if there is anything
that should be raised before the next session. Counsel may not be able to anticipate everything,
but many matters should and will be taken up during the recesses.
D. Submissions for Jury Trial
1. The parties shall jointly file by means of the Court’s CM/ECF system, and submit in
an editable word processing format by e-mail to Judge Beckering’s Judicial Assistant,
Lauren Packard at
[email protected] and Judge Beckering’s Case
Manager, Rick Wolters at
[email protected] the following not later
than five (5) business days prior to the trial:
a. Joint proposed jury instructions. The parties shall electronically file one
joint set of instructions. This Court uses the Sixth Circuit’s Criminal
Pattern Jury Instructions (West Publishing). A copy of these instructions
is available on the Court’s website (www.miwd.uscourts.gov) under the
For Attorneys/Criminal Case Information tab.
(1) Pattern instructions with no changes may be submitted by
number, using the numbering system of the pattern
instructions.
(2) Each remaining instruction shall be submitted in full text, one
instruction per page, in the order in which you propose they be
given to the jury.
(3) For pattern instructions with blanks or language in brackets,
fill in the blanks and modify or delete the language, as
applicable.
(4) If you would like to change language on a pattern instruction,
or submit additional instructions, you must indicate the source
of the additional language or instruction.
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(5) Indicate objections, if any, to opposing counsel’s proposed
instructions, with a summary of the reasons and legal authority
for each objection. Place each objection at the bottom of the
specific instruction page. The parties must make every
reasonable effort to agree on the substantive instructions
stating the elements of the crime.
b. Joint proposed jury verdict form(s).
c. Counsel are also required to submit exhibit lists and witness lists in an editable
word processing format by e-mail to Judge Beckering’s Judicial Assistant, Lauren
Packard at
[email protected] and Judge Beckering’s Case
Manager, Rick Wolters at
[email protected].
E. Jury Selection
1. Counsel shall be present in the courtroom at 8:30 a.m. to address any preliminary
matters.
2. A jury will generally be selected as follows:
a. The courtroom clerk will call 14 people (by number) for the jury panel,
and such persons will be seated in the order they are called.
b. Voir dire will be conducted by both the Judge and the attorneys.
c. Attorney challenges for cause will be heard at side bar. The Court will
excuse any prospective juror for cause where appropriate, replace the
excused juror, and the process will be repeated.
d. When the Court has determined that none of the prospective jurors in the
jury box should be dismissed for cause, the parties may exercise their
peremptory challenges. See 28 U.S.C. §1870. Counsel will be given a
sheet of paper with the appropriate number of challenges identified.
(1) In the first round of challenges, the government will write its
peremptory challenges and give the paper to defense counsel
who will then write defendant’s peremptory challenges. After
defense counsel writes defendant’s peremptory challenges, the
paper is returned to the Court. The Court will then excuse the
challenged jurors.
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(2) The challenged jurors will be replaced, and the process
repeated in the same manner except defense counsel will
exercise its peremptory challenges first during the second and
all subsequent even-numbered rounds.
(3) The process repeats itself until there is a jury. Backstrikes are
permitted.
(4) In a case with multiple defendants, the Court may allow
additional peremptory challenges. See 28 U.S.C. §1870.
3. Alternate juror seats are designated before jury selection for purposes of exercising
peremptory challenges, but the jurors will not be informed of the designation until
just prior to deliberation. FED R. CRIM. P. 24.
F. Exhibits
1. Six notebooks with the exhibits shall be prepared before trial. The exhibits should
be divided and tabbed with the exhibit numbers or letters. A list of the exhibits on a
form similar to Attachment 1 attached to these Guidelines should be located in the
front of the notebooks. Three sets of notebooks shall be distributed to the Court, one
set shall be distributed to the jurors/witnesses, and there should be a set of notebooks
to be used by each party or counsel for the parties. Counsel is responsible for ensuring
the accuracy of the notebook ultimately provided to the jurors at the conclusion of
trial. When bringing a document to the attention of the Court and witnesses, counsel
asking the questions should refer to the notebook volume and exhibit number.
2. The exhibits shall be clearly identified. In cases where counsel wishes to project
evidence on the monitors in the courtroom, projection of exhibits is accomplished by
using the electronic evidence presentation equipment in the courtroom. The evidence
presentation allows for the projection of evidence on various monitors located at the
bench, the witness stand, the lectern, the jury box, and the counsel tables. This
technology eliminates the cumbersome process of handling paper evidence. Counsel
planning to use the equipment are required to contact the Court’s IT department well
in advance of their court proceeding to inquire about the equipment, training and
practice sessions. Practice sessions and testing of the equipment must occur prior to
the day of a scheduled court appearance. You may contact the Court’s IT department
by sending an e-mail to
[email protected] or by calling (616) 456-2523.
Information concerning the features of the system are available at the court's website:
www.miwd.uscourts.gov (click on Judges’ Info/Judge Jane M. Beckering/Courtroom
Technology tab). Counsel is also required to notify Chambers – in advance of the
hearing – of their intentions to use technology resources in the courtroom and
coordinate the date and time of any practice sessions with Chambers.
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3. As a general rule, all evidentiary and demonstrative exhibits must be shown to
opposing counsel prior to the beginning of trial. Do not wait until the witness is on
the stand to show these items to opposing counsel.
4. Offer joint exhibits into evidence on the first day of trial for admittance. Offer
exhibits into evidence as soon as the foundation has been laid. Often, when counsel
waits until the end of the examination or the case to make the offer, the witness has
completely discussed the document during testimony and the document is not in
evidence.
5. Offer exhibits that have identical foundation requirements in a group. It wastes time
to lay a separate foundation on several identical kinds of documents, showing the
witness one at a time. If they are all the same type of document, show the witness
exhibits 1 through 10, ask the witness to identify the exhibits and lay a foundation
(e.g., checking account statements of John Doe for the months January through June
2001). If the parties have stipulated to the admissibility of exhibits before trial, then
those exhibits will be admitted as a group after opening statements and before the
first witness is called. These stipulated exhibits can then be referenced without the
necessity of establishing a foundation.
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ATTACHMENT 1 - EXHIBIT LIST
Exhibit Description Offered By Objection Date Date
No./Letter Offered Received
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