Western District of Washington Local Rules and Judge Filing Requirements

Pretrial order must be submitted as Microsoft Word file to specified email.

Objections to deposition designations must be filed by deadline.

Name, address, and phone number required on each document.

Stipulated motion and proposed order required for cross-motion bundling.

All counsel must follow courtroom conduct rules unless excused by Judge Fricke

Parties must notify opposing counsel of next-day witnesses by 8 p.m. the previous day.

Counsel must maintain 6 feet of social distancing in the courthouse.

Clerk's Office hours: M-F 9am-4pm.

Stand when court is opened, recessed, or adjourned

Email inquiries to chambers must copy all parties; ex parte communications discouraged except for motion status or settlement.

All PDFs must be text-searchable.

Courtesy copies must include CM/ECF header and be double-sided.

Motions must be double-spaced, 12-point sans serif font (10-point footnotes), with page numbers.

Document formatting requirements section begins

Citations must be in Bluebook format in the body, not footnotes.

Discovery disputes require conference before filing motions.

Motion filing procedures section begins

Daubert motions must be filed by dispositive motion deadline and cannot be in limine motions.

All motions must be filed before the pretrial motions deadline.

Good faith conference required to resolve discovery disputes before filing motion.

Each side limited to time limits set by Court at final pretrial conference for voir dire.

Joint briefs limited to 12,600 words total (6,300 per party), excluding certain sections.

Motions limited to 15 pages (except summary judgment), replies to 7 pages, surreplies to 5 pages with leave.

Default motion length is 15 pages.

Motions must be filed 28 days before trial.

Sealed documents must be submitted in person or by mail, not electronically.

In camera review requires electronic copy to Courtroom Deputy and physical copy to chambers, clearly marked.

Counsel must avoid eliciting personal identifiers; may request redaction if inadvertently disclosed.

Strict compliance with Local Rule 5(g) required for motions to seal.

Magistrate judges can order sealing/unsealing of documents by the clerk.

Extension requests must be filed at least 3 business days before deadline.

Defendants must be served within 90 days of filing complaint.

Parties may request amendment to amended case schedule deadlines within 14 days if irreconcilable conflicts exist.

Extension motions must be filed 3 business days before deadline.

Motions to continue must be filed timely; failure to do so constitutes waiver.

Encouraged bundling of cross-motions into 4 briefs instead of 6.

Motions and supporting legal arguments must be filed as a single document.

Government trial brief due 21 days before trial.

Discovery motions must be filed before discovery closes to allow resolution.

Dispositive motion cutoff is set 105 days before trial.

Courtesy copies are not required for any filings.

Courtesy copies required for pleadings over 50 pages or trial exhibits.

No courtesy copies of pleadings accepted; exceptions for trial materials and patent case hearings.

Courtesy copies required for pleadings over 50 pages or trial exhibits.

No courtesy copies required.

Oral arguments and status conferences generally granted; in-person preferred but remote considered.

Court encourages Rule 9 interns and junior attorneys to argue, permits multiple attorneys to argue for one party.

Oral argument procedures section begins

Court encourages junior lawyer participation in courtroom proceedings.

Each side limited to 20 minutes for oral argument plus 5 minutes for rebuttal.