Judge Dow is hearing motions on: January 26 and 29 at 9:15 a.m. February 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 15. 17, 18, 23, and 26 at 9:15 a.m. March 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 15, 17, 18, 23, 26, 29, and 31 at 9:15 a.m. All motions require a notice of motion with 3 business days notice (don't count the day the motion is filed, day it is heard, nor Saturday or Sunday). Courtesy copies are not necessary. There are no in-person hearings, the Court will either 1) rule on the motion, 2) set a briefing schedule, or 3) hold the hearing by telephone (call-in information will be put on the docket the day before the hearing).
The Mandatory Initial Discovery Pilot Project ended on June 1, 2020.
Cases filed before that date are still governed by it, but those cases filed
June 2, 2020 and onward are not.
In view of the current situation regarding COVID-19, the Court recognizes that counsel and parties may wish (or need) to conduct more business by telephone in the days and weeks to come than ordinarily is the case, especially here in the Northern District of Illinois where in-person status hearings remain the norm. The Court urges each lawyer and litigant to consider whether a telephone appearance makes sense and if it does, the Court will be happy to accommodate. If you would like to appear by telephone for any hearing or status conference, please contact the Courtroom Deputy, Carolyn Hoesly, preferably by email (Carolyn_Hoesly@ilnd.uscourts.gov), to advise her of the case number and the name of the person who is expecting to participate.
In the interest of efficient case management, the Court requests that counsel file on the docket no less than 3 business days before the each status hearing a brief joint status report on all civil and criminal cases.
Parties may jointly contact the Courtroom Deputy at Carolyn_Hoesly@ilnd.uscourts.gov - all parties must be copied to avoid any ex parte communication with the court.
Motions noticed for a given day must be filed no later than 4:00 p.m. on the third business day preceding the day the motion is to be heard. Joint uncontested and agreed motions should be so identified in the title and the body of the motion.
