Northern District of California Local Rules and Judge Filing Requirements
Filing requirements from local rules, individual practices, standing orders, and published court policies for Northern District of California
Federal court local rules are only the first layer. These filing requirements come from individual judges' practices, standing orders, and policies published by the Northern District of California. They supplement the district local rules and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Requirements vary significantly between judges in the same district, so always verify the specific rules for your assigned judge.
- Senior Judge Charles R. Breyer
Proposed order required with all motions and opposition papers
- Senior Judge Maxine M. Chesney
Proposed order required with each motion, including relief sought and rationale with citations
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Parties must follow FRCP, Local Rules, and General Orders except where superseded by this standing order.
- Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley
Electronic copies of proposed orders are not required unless specifically requested
- Judge James Donato
Joint case management statement must be filed 7 days before conference.
- Senior Judge Charles R. Breyer
Attorney at case management conference must have full authority to make decisions, including on trial dates.
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Notify Courtroom Deputy Bhavna Sharma by call and email for emergency applications.
- Judge James Donato
Civil case management conferences held Thursdays at 10:00 AM in Courtroom 11.
- Senior Judge Susan Illston
Equipment pre-test questions go to Courtroom Deputy.
- Judge Rita F. Lin
Emergency applications require calling and emailing the Courtroom Deputy.
- Chief Judge Richard Seeborg
Joint Case Management Statements must not exceed 10 pages (except in unusually complex cases)
- Senior Judge Charles R. Breyer
Motion briefs limited to 15 pages (except SJ motions at 25 pages), must be on 28-line double-spaced pleading paper
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Emergency applications are exempt from the 15-page brief limit.
- Judge James Donato
18-month limit between initial conference and trial.
- Senior Judge Susan Illston
One summary judgment motion per party; additional motions require leave of court.
- Senior Judge Charles R. Breyer
Chambers copies must be 3-hole punched, stamped with ECF info, tabbed exhibits, and may require binding for thick exhibits.
- Senior Judge Maxine M. Chesney
Courtesy copies must be single-sided with tabbed dividers for exhibits
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Preliminary approval documents must be sent in Word format to specified email.
- Judge James Donato
Chambers copies must be double-sided, three-hole punched, ECF stamped, and marked 'Chambers Copy -- Do Not File'
- Judge Rita F. Lin
PowerPoint presentations generally not permitted during motion arguments.
- Senior Judge Maxine M. Chesney
Adjournment requests require signed stipulation/proposed order or motion, with good cause showing
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Motions to continue hearings must be filed at least 72 hours in advance.
- Judge James Donato
Reschedule requests must be in writing 10 days in advance with good cause.
- Judge Rita F. Lin
Extension requests must include history of previous extensions.
- Senior Judge Jeffrey S. White
Motions with less than 4 weeks between briefing close and hearing may be automatically re-noticed.
- Senior Judge Charles R. Breyer
Chambers copies must be delivered to Clerk's Office by noon next court day after ECF filing.
- Senior Judge Maxine M. Chesney
Courtesy copies must be mailed same day unless hearing within 7 days, then delivered by noon next court day
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Flash drive with attachments required for ECF filings with more than 10 attachments.
- Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley
Chambers copies are not required unless specifically requested by the Court
- Judge James Donato
Chambers copies required for specific document types including motions, briefs, and discovery dispute letters
- Senior Judge Charles R. Breyer
Discovery motions must be initiated by filing notice of discovery disputes, not by filing motions directly.
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Dispositive motion to dismiss allows moving CMC to 15 days after hearing.
- Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley
Meet and confer in person or videoconference required before discovery disputes.
- Judge James Donato
Non-discovery motions may be noticed for Thursdays at 10:00 AM with 35-day notice period
- Judge Rita F. Lin
Prehearing conferences not generally held; request case management conference at least two weeks before hearing if witness testimony needed.
- Senior Judge Charles R. Breyer
Documents may only be filed under seal with narrowly tailored court order meeting legal standard.
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Strict compliance required with Civil Local Rule 79-5 (except 79-5(d)(2)).
- Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley
Administrative motion to seal required before filing sealed documents.
- Judge James Donato
Documents must comply with Civil Local Rule 79-5 for sealing, with modifications for Judge Donato's cases.
- Senior Judge Susan Illston
Good faith determination required before designating information as confidential.
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Trial dates are typically set 12-16 months after complaint filing.
- Judge James Donato
Joint combined motion to seal required for unopposed sealing requests after briefing.
- Judge Rita F. Lin
Matters cannot be specially set outside regular civil law and motions calendar without Court's leave.
- Judge Trina L. Thompson
Later-filing parties should cite to earlier exhibits and avoid duplicates; joint appendix encouraged.
- Senior Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton
At least 12 weeks required between dispositive/Daubert motions deadline and final pretrial conference.
- Senior Judge Charles R. Breyer
Junior lawyers and underrepresented attorneys invited to argue motions and question witnesses
- Judge Vince Chhabria
Junior lawyers (7 years or less experience) may notify Courtroom Deputy within 7 days of hearing.
- Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley
Junior lawyers encouraged to argue and multiple attorneys permitted to argue
- Judge James Donato
Court guarantees oral argument for lawyers with 6 or fewer years of experience
- Senior Judge Susan Illston
Court encourages oral argument by less-experienced attorneys.
- Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen
Motions must be filed no later than three business days (excluding weekends and court holidays) after the reservation confirmation email.
- Senior Judge Claudia Wilken
Parties must file and serve joint pretrial statement at least 7 calendar days before the pretrial conference.
- Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen
Plaintiff must serve this order and the Joint Case Management Statement standing order on all parties within five days of complaint filing, case reassignment, or new party addition.
- Senior Judge Claudia Wilken
Parties must exchange all case-in-chief exhibits and a complete list 21 calendar days before the final pretrial conference, with voluminous exhibits reduced.