Chief Judge Eric C. Tostrud
Practice Pointers
July 2026
Motion Practice
Chief Judge Tostrud follows Local Rule 7.1 with respect to civil motion practice. The
moving party should obtain a hearing date shortly before filing its motion papers. Motions
must be scheduled through the Courtroom Deputy by emailing
[email protected]. The moving party should include the following
information in the email requesting a hearing date:
• file number;
• type of motion;
• filing date of the motion; and
• all pending or anticipated motions so that the motions can be heard at the same time.
After receiving a hearing date from the Courtroom Deputy, the moving party should
confirm that the date works for all other parties before issuing a notice of hearing.
Chief Judge Tostrud holds all civil hearings in-person unless there is an exceptional
circumstance preventing a party from coming to the courthouse. Please advise the court if
there is such a circumstance.
Two courtesy copies of memoranda and one courtesy copy of supporting documents should
be mailed or delivered to the clerk’s office in St. Paul the next business day after the
documents are filed, addressed to Chief Judge Tostrud, and should be
• three-hole punched;
• unstapled;
• printed double-sided, if feasible; and
• if voluminous, appropriately tabbed and in binders.
Chief Judge Tostrud prefers that parties include the docket number of the filed document
on the courtesy copies submitted to the Court. (The easiest way to do this is to submit
copies of filed documents with the CM/ECF header on the documents.)
In-Court Proceedings
At motion hearings, each side is typically allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument. In
cases involving multiple plaintiffs or multiple defendants, those parties should allocate the
allotted time among themselves. Additional time may be granted at the Court’s discretion
and at the prior request of a party.
