Judge Madeline O. Connolly

Courtroom #1 requires live attendance, but the Court may allow virtual attendance for good cause if requested at least 5 days before the hearing; live attendance is encouraged, with exceptions if warranted.

Affected counsel are encouraged to contact the assigned general division to check the status of cases ranked ahead of theirs.

If counsel learns that the assigned division will not reach the case, counsel may contact Division 1 to seek reassignment so trial can begin as scheduled.

Applies to

Witness list

Counsel must provide a witness list to the Court, court reporter, and opposing party before trial.

Applies to

Jury instructions

Each party bearing the burden of proof on a claim or defense must provide proposed jury instructions to the Court and the other parties by the conclusion of voir dire, unless the Court directs otherwise.

Applies to

Jury instructions

Each proffered instruction must be submitted in both a clean copy and a dirty copy.

Applies to

Dispositive motion

Dispositive motions must be scheduled and submitted at least 60 days before trial, or they may not be heard absent good cause.

Applies to

Dispositive motion

Dispositive motions shall be heard more than 60 days prior to a trial setting.

Proposed jury instructions from each party bearing the burden of proof are due no later than the conclusion of voir dire, unless the Court directs otherwise.

Jury instructions must use 14-point Times New Roman and be prepared on Microsoft Word.

In addition to providing hard copies, the parties are expected to be able to make changes while in chambers; therefore, counsel shall bring their instructions on a compact disc, flash drive, or email them to the Court.

Exhibits should be marked for identification before trial.