Local Rules

What They Are

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure set the nationwide baseline. Federal Rule 83 lets each district court adopt its own local rules on top of that baseline. Every one of the 94 districts has them. They are posted on the district court’s website, usually under a “Local Rules” link.

Local rules control many of the things that decide whether your filing is read at all:

• how many days you have to respond to a motion
• page or word limits, and whether a certificate of compliance is required
• whether a motion must be accompanied by a separate brief
• whether a proposed order must be attached
• whether you must confer with the other side before filing, and certify that you did
• the exact format of a summary-judgment fact statement and appendix
• whether a motion for leave to amend must attach the proposed pleading
• how a party without a lawyer files and receives service

Why They Matter More Than You Expect

A response filed on day 22 when the local rule says 21 is late. A brief that runs 30 pages when the limit is 25 can be struck. A summary-judgment response that does not follow the district’s fact-statement format can result in the other side’s facts being deemed admitted.

Pro se parties are held to these rules. Courts give some leeway on form, but a missed local deadline is treated as a missed deadline.

How to Use Them

1. Find your district’s local civil rules and read the rules on motions, briefs, and summary judgment before you file anything.
2. Then read your assigned judges’ standing orders, which add another layer.
3. Look for a pro se handbook on the court’s website. Many districts publish one.
4. Keep a one-page cheat sheet of the answers. See Before You File Anything: Local Rules and Your Judge’s Standing Orders for the checklist.

Key Authority

• Fed. R. Civ. P. 83 — authority for local rules
• Your district’s local civil rules, from the district court’s website