The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia aspires
to achieve absolute fairness in the determination of cases and matters before it and
expects the highest standards of professionalism, human decency and considerate
behavior toward others from lawyers and court personnel, as well as from all witnesses,
litigants and other persons who come before it. As to matters in issue before the Court,
conduct and statements toward one another must be without bias with regard to such
factors as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, handicap, age and sexual orientation when
such conduct or statements bear no reasonable relationship to a good faith effort to
argue or present a position on the merits. Judicial officers must ensure that appropriate
action is taken to preserve a neutral and fair forum for all persons. Nothing in this Local
Rule, however, is intended to infringe unnecessarily or improperly upon the otherwise
legitimate rights, including the right of freedom of speech, of any person, or to impede or
interfere with the advocacy of causes and positions by lawyers and litigants.
