Northern District of Illinois Local Rules and Judge Filing Requirements

Joint status report on settlement required within 14 days of minute order.

Rule 26(f) report must include specific information about parties, jurisdiction, claims, and discovery.

Physical objects need numbered exhibit designation and one-page PDF placeholder for JERS.

Parties must file joint document with proposed voir dire questions and objections.

Motions for expedited discovery, TRO, or preliminary injunction must demonstrate personal jurisdiction.

Exhibits must follow JERS naming convention.

Exhibits must be tabbed with protruding tabs per Local Rule 5.2.

Pretrial Order must be three-hole bound or spiral bound with tabs.

Paper exhibits double-sided in three-ring binders; electronic exhibits named, read-only, OCR'd and text-searchable.

JERS allows jury to review digital exhibits on monitors instead of paper copies.

Rule 26(f) report limited to 5 pages, due 2 business days before initial status conference.

Settlement letters limited to 6 pages (excluding exhibits).

Summary judgment statements limited to 80 (a)(2) or 40 (b)(3)(B) facts.

Settlement letters should be 5 pages or fewer, but may be longer if necessary.

Trial briefs limited to 10 pages without leave of court.

No contact with jurors after trial without court permission.

Initial status conference scheduled approximately 45 days after complaint filing.

Evidence projection systems require 4-week advance request to Alexander Zeier.

Preliminary injunction hearings scheduled Wednesdays/Fridays at 10:30 AM via teleconference unless good cause shown.

Jury instructions must be emailed to Judge Chang's Proposed Order email account in MS Word format.

Parties may electronically file a joint motion for relief from a court-ordered mediation referral.

At trial, each party must submit its proposed findings and conclusions via email.

Deposition transcripts should not be filed on CM/ECF.

Settlement correspondence must not be filed in the Clerk's Office or on the CM/ECF system; it is submitted to the Court by email only.

Witness lists may be filed as separate ECF documents filed simultaneously with the proposed pretrial order, which must note their separate filing.

Courtesy copies not required for settlement letters.

One courtesy copy of Rule 26(f) report required for Courtroom Deputy.

Two sets of exhibit binders required one week before pretrial conference, with two final binders after rulings.

Two courtesy copies of Final Pretrial Order required for chambers.

Paper copies of exhibits should not be delivered to chambers unless requested.

Settlement conferences can only be rescheduled by court order with 14-day advance written motion and supporting affidavit.

Plaintiff's letter due 14 business days before; defendant's letter due 7 business days before settlement conference.

Written responses/requests for hearing due 12 days after TRO entry; hearing cancelled if none received.

Requests for expedited transcripts must be made at least 7 days before trial.

Pretrial motions must be filed by Court-ordered date or specified deadline.

Court approval required before filing any document under seal or as restricted.

Documents authorized for non-electronic filing under seal must be delivered for filing pursuant to Local Rule 5.8.

Default protective order in Appendix B effective upon initial disclosures; modifications allowed for good cause without delaying disclosures.

Sealed documents disposition options per General Rule 10 upon case closure

Confidential Information may be designated only for statutorily protected information, trade secrets, confidential research/technical/commercial/financial information, medical information, personal identity information, tax records, and non-party personnel or employment records.

Motions in limine must be filed 3 weeks before pretrial order; responses due 1 week before.

Discovery motions require L.R. 37.2 statement; interrogatory limit of 25 without leave.

Parties must meet and confer on all motions in limine before filing.

Parties must confer to try to agree on jury instructions and the verdict form.

A final pretrial conference will be held before trial to address motions in limine, witness and exhibit objections, contested jury instructions, and trial procedures, and fully prepared trial counsel with authority to discuss all aspects of the case must attend.

Proposed voir dire questions must be exchanged 5 business days before the Joint Pretrial Statement due date, and parties must confer 2 business days before.

Objections to the preliminary jury instructions and requests for variation must be brought to the Court's attention at or before the final pretrial conference.

A party added after a case is transferred to a magistrate judge on consent must consent within 30 days of appearance or the case will be transferred back to the district judge.

The parties must jointly prepare and submit the final pretrial order on the date set by the court, unless the court orders otherwise.

Opening brief due within 60 days of the filing of the administrative record.

When counsel is assigned to represent a pro se party and the summons and complaint have not yet been served, an order directing service by the U.S. marshal or other appropriate method must accompany the assignment order.

Under Alternative A, a designating party may serve a Notice of Designation on all parties of record within 14 days after transcript delivery identifying the confidential portions, and failure to serve a timely notice waives the on-record designation unless the Court orders otherwise.

Parties must exchange settlement letters with opposing counsel prior to the settlement conference.

Third parties not named in the complaint cannot be named in active concert with defendants unless active concert is proven and they receive advance notice and opportunity to be heard.

Notice of Designation for deposition testimony must be served within 14 days of transcript delivery, or on-record designation is waived.

Multiple motions in limine should be filed in one document.

Motions in limine and responses must be submitted in single documents.

Opposed motions in limine must follow court schedule; multiple motions should be filed in one document.

Motions in limine must not be bound together with the final pretrial order.

Uncontested agreed motions may be filed with clerk, not requiring open court presentation.

A registry fee, equal to the amount prescribed by the Judicial Conference based on income earned on the investments, is due and payable on registry funds invested in interest-bearing accounts.

Chief Judge Kendall presumptively requires a $1,000 bond per defendant for temporary restraining orders.

Junior lawyers are encouraged to substantively participate in settlement conferences.