Schedule

Civil motions will be heard on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

Criminal motions will be heard on Wednesday and Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

ALL motions (except motions for pro hac vice admission) must be accompanied by (i.e., filed contemporaneously with) a notice of presentment specifying the date and time on which the motion will be presented in-person before Judge Hunt, unless otherwise ordered.  If the Court has already set a briefing schedule on an anticipated motion, then the movant need not notice the motion for presentment.

ALL motions must be filed no later than the third business day (excluding federal holidays and weekends) before the motion is to be presented. For example, absent a holiday, (1) a motion filed on a Monday may be noticed for the upcoming Thursday; and (2) a motion filed on a Thursday may be noticed for the following Tuesday.

The notice of motion must be filed separately on the docket in order for the hearing to appear on the court calendar.  Do not attach the notice as an exhibit to the motion.

Please review Judge Hunt’s main webpage for all dates on which she will not be available to hear motions.

The Court will enter an order at least 24 hours prior to the hearing date if no appearance is necessary or the hearing will proceed telephonically. Otherwise, the parties should expect to appear in-person for scheduled hearings.

Motions that are untimely or not accompanied by the required notice of presentment may be stricken.

Meet and Confer Requirement

Before filing a motion, movant’s counsel must ask opposing counsel whether there is an objection to the motion. Each motion must state in both the title and the body of the motion whether it is agreed, uncontested, or opposed. For opposed motions, the movant must confer with the opposing party prior to filing and include an agreed proposed briefing schedule in the motion.  

Extensions of Time 

A party seeking an extension of time must contact all other parties in the case to determine whether they object to the request. Any motion for extension of time must indicate whether it is the first or subsequent extension request and include detailed reasons for the current request, disclose any previous relief granted, and state whether any other party objects to the extension. Please do not call chambers or the courtroom deputy to request an extension of time.   

Memoranda of Law

Memoranda of law must comply with Local Rule 5.2 and Local Rule 7.1. The Court prefers Westlaw citations to unpublished opinions. Only copies of cited authorities that are not available on Westlaw or Lexis should be attached.

Citations of Supplemental Authority

Parties wishing to cite supplemental authority after briefing of a motion is closed must file a motion seeking leave to do so. Any such motion shall be limited to the case title, its assigned number, the court, date of decision, the published citation or a slip copy, and a brief indication of the issue to which the movant believes the case pertains.  No argument about the significance of the decision or its interpretation may be made and no responsive comment is allowed unless requested by the Court.

Motions to Strike

Motions to strike are strongly disfavored.  See generally Custom Vehicles, Inc. v. Forest River, Inc., 464 F.3d 725, 727 (7th Cir. 2006).  They serve primarily as unauthorized vehicles for parties to expand the page limits for memoranda in support of their motions.  Motions to strike almost always would require the Court to decide significant issues (and, indeed, the underlying motion) on the merits and would multiply the briefs (because the other side should be allowed to respond). Id. at 727. 

The Court is capable of discerning if a reply brief raises a new argument, or if a litigant has failed to comply with the summary judgment requirements.  Such errors do not usually require supplemental motion practice. 

Motions to strike that are not within the limited boundaries established by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(f) may be summarily denied.