Court Rules
Common questions about Judge Anne T. Berton's rules

Does Judge Anne T. Berton require a pre-motion conference or letter before filing a motion?

Judge Anne T. Berton's rules set a pre-motion procedure for covered motions. Brief deadlines governed by Supplemental Rules 6, 7, and 8; no additional briefs without leave

View ruleSource: page 2, section 2. Brief Deadlines

What must be included with notice of electronic filing filings before Judge Anne T. Berton?

The rule requires notice of electronic filing. Commissioner's answer deadline triggered by specific NEF stating 60-day deadline

View ruleSource: page 1, section 1. The Commissioner’s Deadline to Answer

What must be included with opening brief filings before Judge Anne T. Berton?

The rule requires legal argument and statement of facts. Opening brief must contain specific sections: statement of case, issues, summary of arguments, and arguments

View ruleSource: page 2, section 3. Additional Requirements for the Plaintiff’s Opening Brief

How may parties contact Judge Anne T. Berton's chambers?

Parties may contact Judge Anne T. Berton's chambers by email only as allowed by the rule. The rule lists email anne_berton@txwd.uscourts.gov. Parties must email Microsoft Word versions of Joint Proposed Jury Charge and Verdict Form to chambers with specific subject line format.

View ruleSource: page 2, section Joint Proposed Jury Charge and Verdict Form
Complete rules summary for Judge Anne T. Berton

Commissioner's answer deadline triggered by specific NEF stating 60-day deadline

Brief deadlines governed by Supplemental Rules 6, 7, and 8; no additional briefs without leave

Opening brief must contain specific sections: statement of case, issues, summary of arguments, and arguments

Plaintiff's opening brief must include four required sections: statement of the case with record citations, statement of issues, summary of arguments (not just headings), and arguments with citations.

Government must disclose Brady/Giglio/Napue materials to defendant

Government has continuing Brady disclosure obligations regardless of defendant's request

Brady obligations not diminished by Jencks Act or Rule 16; submit non-material exculpatory evidence for in camera review

Parties must file joint proposed jury charge and verdict form, email Word version to judge

General instructions: list section numbers/titles; case-specific or modified sections require full text with changes identified

Substantive offense instructions require section, title, and full text with case-specific modifications

Instructions from other circuits require full text, circuit name, and edition/year

Disagreements require full text of each party's proposed charge with highlighting and nature of disagreement identified

Joint Motion in Limine required after party conference, identifying agreed and disputed items.

Joint Exhibit List required after party conference, listing agreed exhibits and objections.

All trial exhibits must be uploaded to Box before pretrial conference with specific naming convention.

List of potential trial witnesses required.

List of proposed stipulated facts required if applicable.

Joint statement estimating trial length required.

Notice required for electronic presentation devices; failure may result in prohibition.

Each party gets 10 minutes for voir dire questions.

Opening statements limited to 10 minutes per side, with possible extensions for special circumstances.

All admitted trial exhibits must be uploaded to Box before jury deliberations.

Parties must email Microsoft Word versions of Joint Proposed Jury Charge and Verdict Form to chambers with specific subject line format.

Joint Motion in Limine must identify agreed and disputed items including objections, filed only after conferring.

Joint Exhibit List must list agreed exhibits and identify objections, filed after conferring on admissibility.

Trial exhibits must be uploaded to Box with file names matching proposed labels and following JERS naming convention.

All admitted trial exhibits must be uploaded to Box before deliberations begin or they will not be available to jury.

Parties must file a list of potential trial witnesses.

Parties must file a list of proposed stipulated facts.

Parties must jointly file a statement estimating the probable length of trial.

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