Judith Basin County District Court, Montana Filing Rules

In uncontested matters, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a proposed order should be filed with the Clerk at least 48 hours before the hearing, unless that is not reasonable.

The response or objection period is governed by the MUDCR, the Montana Rules of Civil Procedure, and applicable specific statutes.

Counsel may present an emergency not adequately covered by the rules, or a request for relief from them, to the Court for consideration.

Proposed orders for emergency filings should be properly filed with the Clerk of Court as well as emailed to the Court Administrator in .doc or .docx format.

Documents offered for filing other than complaints must include complete documentation of service, and noncompliant documents may be rejected and returned.

If a filing needs to be brought to the attention of the Court right away check the “emergency filing” box in e-filing.

Ex parte requests to continue a Law and Motion matter set by court order must comply with MUDCR 3.

The filer must review each exhibit and redact sensitive, confidential, or private information under Rule 5.2, or seek a Court order to seal the exhibit.

An individual brief may not exceed 20 pages without prior leave, or may instead use the 6,500-word limit with the required certification; serial motions used to evade the page limit may be summarily denied.

If the contacted party has not replied, the motion is deemed opposed and will not be ruled on until the response period expires or opposing counsel files a notice of no objection.

A courtesy copy of an emergency filing submitted by fax or email must be emailed to the Court Administrator.

Required fees and costs remain due at filing, through the e-filing payment system or with a non-electronic filing, unless prior arrangements are made with the Clerk.

Parties must not file an overlength brief together with the motion for leave; the Clerk will refuse an overlength brief unless the Court has granted leave or issued an order.