Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright
Practice Pointers and Preferences
June 2026
Contact with Chambers
• If you have questions about Magistrate Judge Wright’s Practice Pointers and
Preferences, please contact her Courtroom Deputy at 651-848-1890 or email her
Chambers at
[email protected].
• Members of Magistrate Judge Wright’s Chambers will not provide answers to
legal questions. This includes procedural questions that would be governed by the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Local Rules for the District of Minnesota
(“Local Rules”), or the applicable pretrial scheduling order in the case.
• Emails and telephone calls to Magistrate Judge Wright’s Chambers are not proper
means for requesting relief from the Court. Requests for relief must be brought by
motion, stipulation, or using Magistrate Judge Wright’s informal dispute
resolution (“IDR”) process.
• Members of Magistrate Judge Wright’s Chambers will not communicate with
members of the media about any matters before the Court.
• When calling Chambers with a question regarding a specific case, please first
identify yourself and the party you represent, and have the case name and number
ready to provide to Chambers.
• If you have a question or seek clarification regarding an order entered by
Magistrate Judge Wright, please do not call Chambers seeking an answer or
clarification. Instead, obtain permission from Chambers to file a letter on
CM/ECF and then submit your question or request for clarification in the letter.
• If you have a question about how to file a document on CM/ECF, please call the
Technical Help Desk in the Office of the Clerk of Court at 612-664-5000. You are
also directed to the District’s Electronic Filing Tools, which has several useful
resources.
Resources for Pro Se Litigants
• Pro se litigants can find free, online access to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
here, and the Local Rules for the District of Minnesota can be found here.
Additionally, the Pro Se page on the District’s website has several other useful
resources for pro se litigants. Magistrate Judge Wright expects pro se litigants to
be familiar with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local Rules, and
they are required to follow the Federal and Local Rules as well as comply with all
court orders.
First Pretrial Conference and Rule 26(f) Report
• If the Order Setting Pretrial Conference in a case sets the Rule 16 conference for
an in-person proceeding, Magistrate Judge Wright will consider requests to hold
the Rule 16 conference remotely by Zoom for Government (audio-only or video).
Requests should be made by emailing Chambers before the Rule 26(f) report is
due, copying all counsel of record and any unrepresented parties, and should state
the reason for the request and whether all agree to a remote Rule 16 conference.
• Please email courtesy copies of the Rule 26(f) Report in both Word and PDF
format to Chambers when the Report is filed.
Motion and Informal Dispute Resolution Practice
• Magistrate Judge Wright does not consider letter-writing or email campaigns to
satisfy the letter and spirit of the meet-and-confer requirement of the Local Rules.
Meeting and conferring requires counsel and any unrepresented parties to discuss
the dispute by telephone/ audioconference, video conference, or in person.
• All motions to be heard by Magistrate Judge Wright must be scheduled through
Magistrate Judge Wright’s Courtroom Deputy by emailing Chambers at
[email protected], copying all counsel of record and
any unrepresented parties. The email should also identify motions pending or
anticipated so they can be heard at the same time. If there are related cases with
related motions, the email should also identify those cases and motions.
• Even if there is agreement that a motion can be submitted on the papers without
oral argument, the movant must email Chambers as described above to obtain a
hearing date. The Court will determine whether to hold a hearing. If there is no
hearing, the matter will be deemed submitted as of the date of the last filing unless
otherwise ordered.
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• Once a hearing date is secured, the movant must promptly serve and file the notice
of hearing stating the nature of the motion and the date, time, and location of the
hearing. The movant may serve and file the motion and remaining motion papers
in accordance with the dates prescribed by Local Rule 7.1, unless a different
briefing schedule is set.
• Magistrate Judge Wright will consider requests to hear argument by Zoom for
Government rather than in person. Counsel and any unrepresented parties should
meet and confer regarding a request for a remote hearing. Requests should be
made by emailing Chambers, copying all counsel of record and any unrepresented
parties, and should state the reason for the request and whether all agree to a
remote hearing.
• If a hearing date or time must be rescheduled, all counsel of record and any
unrepresented parties must be copied on the email to Chambers so that a new date
or time can be provided that will work for all.
• Please provide one electronic courtesy copy of submissions in the form of a single
PDF file to Chambers on the day the filing occurs or the next business day. The
PDF copy must be text-searchable and, if voluminous, have appropriate electronic
bookmarks. Please also provide a paper courtesy copy of submissions to
Chambers, with appropriate tabs if the submissions are voluminous. Courtesy
copies should include motions, memoranda, responses, declarations, affidavits,
exhibits, proposed orders, etc., but it is not necessary to provide copies of the
certificates of service or certificates of word-count compliance.
• Magistrate Judge Wright’s IDR process is available to resolve non-dispositive
disputes. Typically, if the IDR process is used, the matter is not briefed and
declarations and sworn affidavits are not filed. Consequently, the matter is not
appropriate for appeal to the District Judge or the Eighth Circuit. Because the
result will be binding and non-appealable, all parties must agree to use the IDR
process for the Court to proceed with IDR. If there is no agreement to resolve a
dispute though IDR, then the dispute must be presented to the Court through
formal motion practice.
If the parties agree to pursue the IDR process, counsel and any unrepresented
parties must jointly contact Chambers by email to schedule an audio-only hearing.
They will then be allowed to each submit a short letter setting forth the issue(s) to
be resolved. If not otherwise specified by the Court, the letter submissions shall
be no more than three (3) pages in length and should be served and emailed to
Chambers (with copy to all counsel or record and any unrepresented parties) at
least two (2) business days before the telephone hearing.
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• If a pending motion is resolved, please notify Chambers as soon as possible so that
any scheduled hearing can be removed from the calendar. If a motion has been
partially resolved, please notify Chambers to let the Court know what parts have
been resolved and no longer need to be addressed by the Court. If time permits,
notification should be by joint stipulation, as provided by Local Rule 7.1. If a
party intends to withdraw a motion, the party should file a notice formally
withdrawing the motion on CM/ECF.
In Person and Remote Proceedings
• In Person
o If you intend to use visual aids at an in-person proceeding, such as
PowerPoint or other presentation graphics, bring sufficient copies for the
Court, the law clerk, and opposing counsel and any unrepresented parties.
The copies should reference the case name and case number.
o If you intend to use paper copies of cases, documents, etc., at a hearing,
bring sufficient copies for the Court, the law clerk, opposing counsel, and
any unrepresented parties.
o If you plan to use the courtroom technology, please become familiar with
the technology before the proceeding. Training can be arranged through
the Court’s I.S. Department by first calling Magistrate Judge Wright’s
Courtroom Deputy at 651-848-1890. Magistrate Judge Wright and her staff
are not responsible for the courtroom technology’s functioning, so have a
back-up plan if the technology is not available at the proceeding, including
paper copies of visual aids.
• Audio-Only/Telephonic
o The Court normally uses Zoom for Government for audio-only
proceedings. Typically, instructions for joining, including telephone
access, will be filed on the docket.
o If joining by Zoom for Government, counsel and parties should keep their
video muted for audio-only proceedings.
o Counsel and all parties are expected to conduct themselves during an audio-
only proceeding by Zoom for Government in the same manner they would
during an in-person hearing in the courtroom.
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• Video (Zoom for Government)
o The Court normally uses Zoom for Government for video proceedings.
Typically, instructions for joining will be filed on the docket.
o Counsel and any unrepresented parties are responsible for ensuring that
they and any participants affiliated with them have tested the technology
and understand how to use Zoom for Government. Counsel and any
unrepresented parties must review the District’s instructions for
participating in a Zoom for Government proceeding, available here.
o If counsel or any unrepresented parties anticipate using a presentation,
exhibits, or demonstratives during a proceeding by Zoom for Government,
they should inform Chambers by emailing Chambers before the proceeding,
copying all counsel of record and any unrepresented parties, so that
necessary arrangements can be made to the Zoom settings.
o Counsel and all parties are expected to conduct themselves during a
proceeding by Zoom for Government in the same manner they would
during an in-person hearing in the courtroom. This includes wearing
appropriate courtroom attire and maintaining courtroom decorum
throughout the proceeding for counsel and wearing appropriate attire and
maintaining courtroom decorum for all parties.
• In General
o Please be prepared to refer to the record using citations to the CM/ECF
docket (e.g., Dkt. 22 rather than “Exhibit M”).
Settlement Conferences
• All parties and counsel are required to fully comply with any Order for Settlement
Conference issued by the Court.
• Magistrate Judge Wright will consider requests that a settlement conference be
held by Zoom for Government. Counsel and any unrepresented parties should
meet and confer regarding a request for a remote settlement conference. Requests
should be made by emailing Chambers, copying all counsel of record and any
unrepresented parties, and should state the reason for the request and whether all
agree to a remote settlement conference. Magistrate Judge Wright will determine
if the settlement conference is appropriate for resolution by Zoom for Government
based on a number of factors, including the complexity of the case, the burden
appearing in person would impose on the parties, the amount in controversy, the
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parties’ settlement positions, and the progress the parties have made towards
settlement as of the date of the request. If a settlement conference will be held by
Zoom for Government, counsel and parties must review the District’s instructions
for participating in a Zoom for Government proceeding, available here. Counsel
are expected to wear courtroom attire and maintain courtroom decorum throughout
the settlement conference. Parties are expected to wear appropriate attire and
maintain courtroom decorum throughout the settlement conference.
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