The Court normally hears motions and holds status hearings on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9:15 a.m.  In the interest of the efficient expenditure of resources, the Court will attempt to avoid unnecessary appearances and accommodate telephonic appearances when appropriate.

All motions must be filed no later than three business days before the day the motion is to be heard (e.g., for a motion to be heard on Thursday, it must be filed no later than Monday of that week).  The Court requests that the body of any motion state whether the motion is joint or if the other parties have authorized the movant to state that the parties either agree to the motion or have no objection to it.  Absent leave of Court, memoranda of law must comply with the fifteen (15) page limitation set forth in Local Rule 7.1.

The Court reminds the parties that they should follow Local Rule 5.2, which provides that “[a] judge’s paper copy shall be bound on the left side and shall include protruding tabs for exhibits. A list of exhibits must be provided for each document that contains more than one exhibit.” While the Court will exercise its discretion to the extent parties are unable to fully comply with the formalities of Local Rule 5.2, the Court appreciates paper copies that are compiled in an orderly and organized fashion.

Moving counsel may call chambers (312) 435-5656 or the courtroom deputy (312) 408-5058 after 4:00 p.m. on the day immediately before the motion is scheduled to be heard to find out if an appearance will be required.  If counsel seeks information regarding the need to appear on a more prompt timeframe, counsel may call chambers with such a request.  The Court will make every effort to provide a sufficiently timely response.  Unless the Court has told a party it need not appear, counsel for all parties are expected to be present even if the motion is agreed.   If no appearance is required, moving counsel must notify other counsel in the case.

 Please note that Judge Weisman ordinarily will hear argument and rule on discovery motions on the date they are noticed for presentment.  (See Discovery Motions, infra.)  If Judge Weisman thinks a response is necessary, the presentment date may be stricken and another hearing date will be set as appropriate or the Court will rule on the papers submitted via the CM/ECF system.

The Court prefers that the parties jointly email the courtroom deputy to reschedule any hearing date.