(a) Form and Content of a Motion. All motions and responses to motions, unless made
during a hearing or trial, shall be in writing, conform to the requirements of Local Rules
CV-5 and CV-10, and be accompanied by a separate proposed order for the judge’s
signature. The proposed order shall be endorsed with the style and cause number and shall
not include a date or signature block. Dispositive motions—those which could, if granted,
result in the dismissal of an indictment or counts therein or the exclusion of evidence—
shall contain a statement of the issues to be decided by the court. Responses to dispositive
motions must include a response to the movant’s statement of issues. All motions,
responses, replies, and proposed orders, if filed electronically, shall be submitted in
“searchable PDF” format. All other documents, including attachments and exhibits, should
be in “searchable PDF” form whenever possible.
(1) Page Limits.
(A) Dispositive Motions. Dispositive motions shall not exceed thirty pages,
excluding attachments, unless leave of court is first obtained. Likewise,
responses to such motions shall not exceed thirty pages, excluding
attachments, unless leave of court is first obtained. Any reply brief shall not
exceed ten pages, excluding attachments.
(B) Non-dispositive Motions. Non-dispositive motions shall not exceed
fifteen pages, excluding attachments, unless leave of court is first obtained.
Likewise, responses to such motions shall not exceed fifteen pages,
excluding attachments, unless leave of court is first obtained. Any reply
brief shall not exceed five pages, excluding attachments.
(2) Briefing Supporting Motions and Responses. The motion and any briefing shall
be contained in one document. The briefing shall contain a concise statement of
the reasons in support of the motion and citation of authorities upon which the
movant relies. Likewise, the response and any briefing shall be contained in one
document. Such briefing shall contain a concise statement of the reasons in
opposition to the motion and a citation of authorities upon which the party relies.
(3) Certificates of Conference. Except as specified below, all motions must be
accompanied by a “certificate of conference.” It should be placed at the end of the
motion following the certificate of service. The certificate must state: (1) that
counsel has conferred with opposing counsel in a good faith attempt to resolve the
matter without court intervention; and (2) whether the motion is opposed or
unopposed. Motions for continuance should also state whether the motion is
opposed by any codefendant or certify counsel’s inability to obtain the position of
a particular codefendant despite a good faith attempt to do so. Certificates of
conference are not required of pro se litigants (prisoner or non-prisoner) or for the
following motions:
(A) motions to dismiss;
(B) motions for judgment of acquittal;
(C) motions to suppress;
(D) motions for new trial;
(E) any motion permitted to be filed ex parte;
(F) objections to report and recommendations of magistrate judges;
(G) motions for reconsideration;
(H) dispositive motions; and
(I) any motion related to enforcement of a debt, including relief under the
Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act, 28 U.S.C. § 3101, et seq. and the
All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1651.
(b) Timing of a Motion.
(1) Responses. A party opposing a motion has fourteen days from the date the motion
was served in which to serve and file a response and any supporting documents,
after which the court will consider the submitted motion for decision. Any party
may separately move for a court order lengthening or shortening the period within
which a response may be filed.
(2) Reply Briefs and Sur-Replies. Unless otherwise directed by the presiding judge,
a party who has filed an opposed motion may serve and file a reply brief
responding to issues raised in the response within seven days from the date the
response is served. A sur-reply responding to issues raised in the reply may be
served and filed within seven days from the date the reply is served. The court need
not wait for the reply or sur-reply before ruling on the motion. Absent leave of
court, no further submissions on the motion are allowed.
(c) Affidavit Supporting a Motion. When allegations of fact not appearing in the record are
relied upon in support of a motion, all affidavits and other pertinent documents shall be
served and filed with the motion. It is strongly recommended that any attached materials
have the cited portions highlighted or underlined in the copy provided to the court unless
the citation encompasses the entire page. The page preceding and following a highlighted
or underlined page may be submitted if necessary to place the highlighted or underlined
material in context. Only relevant, cited-to excerpts of attached materials should be
attached to the motion or the response.
