Court Rules
Court-wide rules apply

Judge Chris Abbott

Judge • Lewis and Clark County District Court, Montana

Limits & Logistics

Court-wide

Document Limits

Pleading or Brief
20 pgsor6,500 wds

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

Lewis and Clark County District Court, Montana publishes its filing requirements at the court level rather than per judge, so these 43 rules are what govern this courtroom.

Sealing

All 11

  • SW, IS, DF, DA, DD, DI, and DN matters must be filed under seal; specified parties and court personnel may access them without authorization, while anyone else needs specific Court authorization.

  • Other cases may be sealed only upon motion, leave of the Court, and a showing of good cause.

  • A recipient of CCJI may disseminate it to specified case participants only as necessary for case preparation or investigation, and may not otherwise disseminate it without complying with the MCJIA.

Filing Requirements

All 8
  • Applies to
    Notice of submittal

    After a motion is fully briefed and any requested oral argument has been held, the movant must file a Notice of Submittal before the matter is deemed submitted for decision.

  • Applies to
    Filing

    A filing using the 6,500-word alternative must be accompanied by a certification stating the word count, line spacing, and the specified typeface and spacing details; the certification itself is excluded from the length calculation.

  • Applies to
    Motion
    Must include
    proposed order

    All motions filed conventionally, except for contested dispositive motions (e.g., motions to dismiss and summary judgment motions), shall include a proposed order with copies and addressed envelopes for all counsel of record. All such motions filed via e-filing shall include a proposed order that is submitted in .doc or .docx format.

Service

All 7
  • Applies to
    Notice of submittal

    The movant must serve the Notice of Submittal after a motion is fully briefed and any requested oral argument has been held.

  • Applies to
    Reminder of submittal

    An affected party may serve a Reminder of Submittal when a matter has been under advisement for more than thirty days.

  • When Montana counsel associates with out-of-state pro hac vice counsel, District Court orders and notices are delivered to in-state counsel only, subject to few exceptions.

Formatting

All 5

  • Briefs must follow Montana Uniform District Court Rule 1, except that their font size must be at least 12 point.

  • An e-filed motion's proposed order must be submitted in .doc or .docx format.

  • Motions to continue must be in writing.

More categories

View all Lewis and Clark County District Court, Montana rules

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Lewis and Clark County District Court, Montana publishes rules court-wide today. We'll email you if Judge Chris Abbott issues individual standing orders.