Magistrate Judge John D. Early -- United States District Court, Central District of California

Courtroom 6A, 6th Floor, Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Santa Ana

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Key Traps — Where Counsel Gets Caught

1. No informal discovery procedure — 'strict compliance with Local Rule 37-1 and 37-2 is required' with no IDC or letter-brief off-ramp
2. Discovery motion papers must include ALL meet-and-confer correspondence regarding the dispute — attach the emails, not a summary
3. Remote appearances require a FILED application (not an email) at least 7 days before the hearing, stating all parties' positions — and are not automatically granted
4. Tentative rulings, IF issued, posted no earlier than noon one court day before hearing (federal-atypical when issued) — if all parties submit, no appearance required
5. Civil law-and-motion runs Thursdays at 10:00 a.m., in person by default; no clearance needed if the date is open
6. Settlement conferences require 3 proposed dates jointly submitted to the CRD at least 4 weeks before the requested conference

Quick Reference

Topic	Rule
Motion Days	Law and Motion Schedule: Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. A motion hearing date need not be cleared with the Courtroom Deputy Clerk ('CRD') if the date selected is not closed. The Court may reschedule hearings or decide motions without oral argument as warranted. Hearings are conducted in-person unless a General Order, Order of the Chief Judge, or other Order directs otherwise. [mj-early-john \| motion_hearing_days]
Chambers Copies	Conditional
Tentative Rulings	TENTATIVE RULINGS: Tentative rulings, if issued, will be available at the 'Tentative Rulings' link on this page no earlier than noon one court day before the hearing. If all parties submit on the tentative ruling, they should advise the CRD, and, upon confirmation, no appearance will be required. [mj-early-john \| tentative_rulings]
Remote Appearances	TELEPHONIC OR VIDEOCONFERENCE APPEARANCES: Any request for appearance by telephone or videoconference must be made by filed application at least seven days before the hearing. Such application should state the position of all parties regarding the request. Remote appearance request are not automatically granted. [mj-early-john \| remote_appearances]

Procedural Briefing by Motion Type

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Before You File

Motion Days & Times

Law and Motion Schedule: Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. A motion hearing date need not be cleared with the Courtroom Deputy Clerk ('CRD') if the date selected is not closed. The Court may reschedule hearings or decide motions without oral argument as warranted. Hearings are conducted in-person unless a General Order, Order of the Chief Judge, or other Order directs otherwise. [mj-early-john | motion_hearing_days]

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At Filing

Chambers Copies

Conditional

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Before the Hearing

Tentative Rulings

TENTATIVE RULINGS: Tentative rulings, if issued, will be available at the 'Tentative Rulings' link on this page no earlier than noon one court day before the hearing. If all parties submit on the tentative ruling, they should advise the CRD, and, upon confirmation, no appearance will be required. [mj-early-john | tentative_rulings]

Remote Appearances

TELEPHONIC OR VIDEOCONFERENCE APPEARANCES: Any request for appearance by telephone or videoconference must be made by filed application at least seven days before the hearing. Such application should state the position of all parties regarding the request. Remote appearance request are not automatically granted. [mj-early-john | remote_appearances]

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Background Rules

Discovery Dispute Procedure

DISCOVERY MOTIONS: Discovery motions are to be calendared before the Magistrate Judge unless otherwise ordered by the District Judge. The parties must include with any discovery motion all meet and confer correspondence regarding the dispute. Strict compliance with Local Rule 37-1 and 37-2 is required. [mj-early-john | discovery_dispute_procedure]

Sources & Currency

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