| Initial
Status Conference |
The court will set cases for status within 60 days of the filing of
the complaint. At the initial status conference the parties will: 1)
inform the court of the nature and scope of the case, 2) identify
settlement opportunities, 3) set the initial discovery parameters, and
4) schedule future conferences and, when necessary, motions.
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| Informal
Exchange of Discovery |
All parties are reminded of their obligations to make the disclosures required in
Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
|
| Scheduling
and Settlement Conferences |
After the initial status and scheduling conference, the court may hold
scheduling and settlement conferences. If requested, out of state
parties may participate by telephone.
|
| Motion
Practice |
Scheduling Motions
The court hears motions on Tuesday through
Thursday at 9:00.
Unless the court has told a party it need not
appear, counsel is expected to be present whether or not the motion is
agreed.
Motions must be filed with the central
clerk's office at least two working days prior to the date of the
hearing of the motion pursuant to Local
Rule 78.1
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| Discovery
Motions |
a. Meeting Requirement
The court encourages the parties to work out discovery disputes and
discourages the filing of discovery motions. Discovery disputes are
normally resolved at a status call or a pretrial conference without
briefing. If the matter is not resolved, then the court will set a
briefing schedule.With regard to the filing of motions for discovery and production
of documents under Fed. R.
Civ. P. 26-37, the court will not hear or consider any discovery
motions unless the parties have complied with Local
Rule 37.2
In any motion for discovery or production of documents, the movant
shall state when and how the movant complied with Local
Rule 37.2. Failure to comply with these rules will result in the
imposition of sanctions. Most often the court will rule on these
motions after oral argument at the motion call and without briefing.
The court will also consider these motions at a status call or a
settlement conference.
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| Consent
to Proceed before a Magistrate Judge |
Too often litigants are unaware of the efficiencies to be gained by
having their cases tried before United States Magistrate Judges. The
court strongly encourages counsel to inform their clients of
this option, and to discuss it with opposing counsel. Magistrate
Judge Consent Form
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| Bankruptcy Appeals |
Briefs on appeal from the United States Bankruptcy Court must be filed within 15 days of the entry of judgment by the Bankruptcy Court. Any motions to extend time must be filed during the 15-day period. Briefs are limited to 15 pages each. |
| Submitting a Proposed Order, Agreed or Otherwise, for Electronic Entry by the Judge |
Proposed Orders are technically not to be "filed." Rather, they are to be "submitted" to the judge to consider, to modify, if appropriate, and to enter electronically. For example, proposed orders such as stipulated protective orders require court approval before actually being given full effect. To prevent confusion, such proposed orders must be attached to an e-mail sent to the e-mail address of the assigned judge, Proposed_Order_Moran@ilnd.uscourts.gov The subject line of the e-mail must include the case number and name, the docket number of the corresponding motion, if any, and the title of the order that is proposed as indicated on the Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF). All such documents must be submitted to the court in a format compatible with WordPerfect, which is a "Save As" option in most word processing software. Such proposed orders should also be served on all parties. |
| Other Topics |
All questions, which are limited to simple procedural questions and scheduling questions, are to be directed to the Courtroom Deputy.
No activated beepers or cellular telephones are permitted in the courtroom.
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