Western District of Washington Local Rules and Judge Filing Requirements
Filing requirements from local rules, individual practices, standing orders, and published court policies for Western District of Washington
Federal court local rules are only the first layer. These filing requirements come from individual judges' practices, standing orders, and policies published by the Western District of Washington. 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.
- Judge Tana Lin
Pretrial order must be submitted as Microsoft Word file to specified email.
- Judge Lauren King
Objections to deposition designations must be filed by deadline.
- Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan
Name, address, and phone number required on each document.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Stipulated motion and proposed order required for cross-motion bundling.
- Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke
All counsel must follow courtroom conduct rules unless excused by Judge Fricke
- Judge Tana Lin
Parties must notify opposing counsel of next-day witnesses by 8 p.m. the previous day.
- Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke
Counsel must maintain 6 feet of social distancing in the courthouse.
- Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan
Clerk's Office hours: M-F 9am-4pm.
- Magistrate Judge Grady J. Leupold
Stand when court is opened, recessed, or adjourned
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Email inquiries to chambers must copy all parties; ex parte communications discouraged except for motion status or settlement.
- Judge Jamal N. Whitehead
All PDFs must be text-searchable.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Courtesy copies must include CM/ECF header and be double-sided.
- Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke
Motions must be double-spaced, 12-point sans serif font (10-point footnotes), with page numbers.
- Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan
Document formatting requirements section begins
- Judge Tana Lin
Citations must be in Bluebook format in the body, not footnotes.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Discovery disputes require conference before filing motions.
- Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan
Motion filing procedures section begins
- Judge Tana Lin
Daubert motions must be filed by dispositive motion deadline and cannot be in limine motions.
- Judge Lauren King
All motions must be filed before the pretrial motions deadline.
- Magistrate Judge Brian A. Tsuchida
Good faith conference required to resolve discovery disputes before filing motion.
- Judge Tana Lin
Each side limited to time limits set by Court at final pretrial conference for voir dire.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Joint briefs limited to 12,600 words total (6,300 per party), excluding certain sections.
- Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke
Motions limited to 15 pages (except summary judgment), replies to 7 pages, surreplies to 5 pages with leave.
- Judge Lauren King
Default motion length is 15 pages.
- Judge Jamal N. Whitehead
Motions must be filed 28 days before trial.
- Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan
Sealed documents must be submitted in person or by mail, not electronically.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
In camera review requires electronic copy to Courtroom Deputy and physical copy to chambers, clearly marked.
- Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke
Counsel must avoid eliciting personal identifiers; may request redaction if inadvertently disclosed.
- Judge Tana Lin
Strict compliance with Local Rule 5(g) required for motions to seal.
- Magistrate Judge Michelle L. Peterson
Magistrate judges can order sealing/unsealing of documents by the clerk.
- Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke
Extension requests must be filed at least 3 business days before deadline.
- Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan
Defendants must be served within 90 days of filing complaint.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Parties may request amendment to amended case schedule deadlines within 14 days if irreconcilable conflicts exist.
- Judge Tana Lin
Extension motions must be filed 3 business days before deadline.
- Judge Lauren King
Motions to continue must be filed timely; failure to do so constitutes waiver.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Encouraged bundling of cross-motions into 4 briefs instead of 6.
- Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke
Motions and supporting legal arguments must be filed as a single document.
- Judge Tana Lin
Government trial brief due 21 days before trial.
- Judge Lauren King
Discovery motions must be filed before discovery closes to allow resolution.
- Senior Judge James L. Robart
Dispositive motion cutoff is set 105 days before trial.
- Judge Lauren King
Courtesy copies are not required for any filings.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Courtesy copies required for pleadings over 50 pages or trial exhibits.
- Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke
No courtesy copies of pleadings accepted; exceptions for trial materials and patent case hearings.
- Judge Tana Lin
Courtesy copies required for pleadings over 50 pages or trial exhibits.
- Judge Jamal N. Whitehead
No courtesy copies required.
- Judge Kymberly K. Evanson
Oral arguments and status conferences generally granted; in-person preferred but remote considered.
- Magistrate Judge Grady J. Leupold
Court encourages Rule 9 interns and junior attorneys to argue, permits multiple attorneys to argue for one party.
- Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan
Oral argument procedures section begins
- Judge Tana Lin
Court encourages junior lawyer participation in courtroom proceedings.
- Senior Judge Barbara J. Rothstein
Each side limited to 20 minutes for oral argument plus 5 minutes for rebuttal.