Due to Magistrate Judge Mason's retirement effective February 1, 2019, his final status/motion hearing date will be Thursday, January 17, 2019. Parties seeking to file a motion after that date shall contact Magistrate Judge Mason's Chambers about how to proceed.
To achieve the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure’s command of a “just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action,” Magistrate Judge Mason has endorsed The Sedona Conference® Cooperation Proclamation dated July 2008. In cases where discovery supervision is within the district court’s referral order and in consent cases where discovery is ongoing, please read The Sedona Conference® Cooperation Proclamation carefully prior to the initial status conference. Counsel should be fully prepared to discuss methods and techniques to accomplish cooperative fact-finding in their case at the initial status conference. View The Sedona Conference® Cooperation Proclamation
Effective Immediately: Judge Mason will hear civil motions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.; criminal motions will be heard Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:15 a.m. All motions must be filed three business days in advance of the hearing (filed by Thursday for Tuesday’s call; filed by Friday for Wednesday’s call; filed by Monday for Thursday’s call). Courtesy copies of all motions must be delivered to Judge Mason’s chambers, Room 2270, by 5:00 p.m. three business days in advance of the hearing. A courtesy copy of all other electronic filings (such as responses to motions, status reports, etc.) must be delivered to Judge Mason’s chambers by 12:00 p.m. the next business day. Failure to provide a courtesy copy may result in your motion or pleading being stricken. Courtesy copies should be delivered directly to chambers and not placed in the drop box on the 20th Floor. Should a party wish to file a response in opposition to a motion prior to the noticed hearing date, that party must request leave of court. Magistrate Judge Mason will not consider any response filed less than 24 hours before a hearing.
UPDATE: Parties in Social Security Disability cases are not required to submit courtesy copies of motions for extension of time.