Judith Basin County District Court, Montana Chambers Communication Rules

CRITICAL

Direct emails or phone calls to the Judge are prohibited, except when responding to the Judge’s direct email or call.

Direct emails or phone calls to the Judge are prohibited unless you are responding to the Judge who emailed or called you directly.

CRITICAL

Communication with the Judge will go through the Court Administrator or the Law Clerk (e.g. visit, email, or phone call).

Communication with the Judge will go through the Court Administrator or the Law Clerk (e.g. visit, email, or phone call).

CRITICAL

Requests to use audio or visual aids during opening or closing statements must be made at the pretrial conference.

Any requests to use audio or visual aids during opening or closing statements shall be made at the pretrial conference.

CRITICAL

Contact

Email

Transcript requests must be directed to Court Reporter Deidre Taber at the stated email address.

All requests for transcripts must be made directly to the Tenth District Court Reporter, Deidre Taber, at dtaber@mt.gov.

CRITICAL

Parties intending to use special equipment must make arrangements with the Court Administrator at least five business days before trial.

If the parties intend to use any special equipment the parties must make the appropriate arrangements at least five (5) business days prior to the date of the trial with the Court Administrator.

CRITICAL

A party who believes a potentially violent situation might arise must notify the Court Administrator sufficiently in advance of the hearing to allow security measures to be taken.

In any type of case where a party, whether counsel or pro se, believes that a potentially violent situation might arise, they shall notify the Court Administrator sufficiently in advance of the hearing so that appropriate security measures can be taken.

CRITICAL

In the specified proceedings involving a temporary protection order, counsel for the Petitioner or the lower-court Petitioner must promptly notify the lower court of the District Court action.

When any action for declaration of invalidity of marriage, dissolution of marriage, or child custody action is filed in the District Court between parties who are also parties to a temporary order of protection in a court of limited jurisdiction, counsel for the Petitioner or the party who is the Petitioner in the lower court proceeding shall promptly notify said lower court of the District Court action and move the lower court to transfer the matter to the District Court.

CRITICAL

The Court will not engage in ex parte conversations or review ex parte documents; such documents will be returned to the sender and/or forwarded to counsel of record.

The Court will not engage in conversation of an ex parte nature or review any ex parte documents, such as letters, and the document will be returned to the sender and/or forwarded to all counsel of record.

CRITICAL

Contact

Phone

Anyone permitted to appear by Zoom must provide court personnel with a telephone number where they can be reached about delays or connection issues.

Any party or counsel that have been permitted to appear by Zoom either via these rules or court order must provide the Court Administrator, and/or other Court personnel with a telephone number at which they may be reached in case of delay or issues with the connection.

CRITICAL

Substantive issues in pending or anticipated cases may not be discussed ex parte with the Court unless all opposing parties are present or notified, or have given prior approval or stipulation.

There will be no ex parte discussion with the Court of substantive issues involving pending or anticipated cases, without the presence of, or notice to, all opposing parties, or without prior approval or stipulation of opposing parties.

CRITICAL

The prohibition on ex parte contact with the Judge also applies to the Clerk of Court’s Office and the Judge’s staff.

The same prohibition against ex parte contact with the Judge, applies to the Clerk of Court’s Office and the Judge’s staff.

CRITICAL

Counsel must notify the Court in writing if a matter becomes contested.

Counsel is required to notify the Court in writing if a matter has become contested.

WARNING

Court staff may not give legal advice, but may provide pro se litigants general assistance to facilitate compliance with the rules.

Court staff may not offer legal advice. This does not prohibit general assistance by the Court Staff to pro se litigants to facilitate compliance with these rules.

WARNING

A party intending to appear by Zoom must notify the Court Administrator or other Court personnel before the hearing.

A party intending to appear by Zoom must notify the Court Administrator or other Court personnel prior to the Hearing.

WARNING

Parties must diligently respond to the Court Administrator's deadline-monitoring inquiries or risk sanctions, including removal from the trial calendar or loss of trial priority.

The Court Administrator will monitor deadlines established by Scheduling Order(s). Failure to diligently respond to monitoring inquiries may result in sanctions, including removal from the trial calendar or loss of trial priority status.

WARNING

Broadcasting, recording, or photography during court sessions or recesses requires the presiding judge’s prior written permission, and written requests must be made through the Clerk of Court’s Office.

Broadcasting, television, video or voice recording, or taking photographs in the courtroom and areas immediately adjacent thereto during sessions of Court, or recesses between sessions, shall be allowed only by prior written permission of the presiding judge. Written requests shall be made through the Clerk of Court’s Office.

INFO

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

If counsel have an emergency which is not covered adequately by these rules, or need relief from the application of them, counsel may present such matters to the Court for its consideration.