Northern District of Illinois
Local rules, motion practice, and judge procedures for N.D. Ill. practitioners.
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Presentment court — no standard briefing schedule. Motions are presented at a weekly motion call. File by 4:30 PM two business days before presentment. The judge typically sets a briefing schedule from the bench.
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Meet and confer required for discovery motions. The court will refuse to hear any motion under FRCP 26–37 without proof of in-person or phone conferral (LR 37.2). The certification must state the date, time, and place of the conference.
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Significant judge-to-judge variation. NDIL judges routinely set their own briefing deadlines and local preferences in standing orders. Read your judge's standing orders before you file anything.
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Recent rule changes. Digital Media Exhibits must now be submitted via the court portal (eff. Sept 2025). Highly Sensitive Material (HSM) procedures requiring offline storage took effect May 2025.