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N.D. Cal. · Judge Chhabria · Practice Guide

Hon. Vince Chhabria

Verified 2026-09-04verify at the court's site ↗

All local rules for N.D. Cal., integrated with this judge's published requirements.

Before You File
Ex parte applications
🏛 N.D. Cal. local rule

Permitted only if statute, Federal Rule, local rule, or standing order authorizes; cite authority in motion Civ. L.R. 7-10 ↗

Drafting the Motion
Length limits — motion, opposition, reply
🏛 N.D. Cal. local rule
Motion

25 pages maximum (motion must be in one document not exceeding 25 pages) Civ. L.R. 7-2(b) ↗

Opposition

25 pages maximum Civ. L.R. 7-4(b) ↗

Reply

15 pages maximum Civ. L.R. 7-4(b) ↗

Filing & Scheduling
Briefing schedule & hearing date
🏛 N.D. Cal. local rule
Notice period

35 days after filing (FRCP 6(d) mail-service extension expressly excluded) Civ. L.R. 7-2(a) ↗

Hearing days

Judge's individual law and motion calendar; no district-wide standard hearing day Civ. L.R. 7-2(a) ↗

Proposed orders
🏛 N.D. Cal. local rule

PDF attached to motion; Word format emailed to assigned judge's chambers address Civ. L.R. 5-1(f) ↗

👤 Judge Chhabria — standing order

27. Proposed orders are not necessary for most substantive motions, such as motions for summary judgment, motions to dismiss, or preliminary injunction motions. The parties should submit proposed orders only in connection with administrative motions, stipulations requiring modifications of the case schedule, ex parte applications, discovery disputes, and rulings that call upon the court to make factual findings (such as a motion to approve a class settlement or a motion for attorneys' fees). All proposed orders should be sent in Microsoft Word format to vcpo@cand.uscourts.gov.

The Hearing
Oral argument
🏛 N.D. Cal. local rule

Court may decide without oral argument or by telephone at judge's discretion Civ. L.R. 7-1(b) ↗

👤 Judge Chhabria — standing order
Default practice

48. If the Court determines a hearing is not necessary, it will usually be vacated no later than three days before the hearing. 49. The Court ordinarily will not issue tentative rulings, but it typically announces its tentative thinking at the outset of the hearing.

Discovery
Discovery referral procedure
🏛 N.D. Cal. local rule

Magistrate judges authorized for all non-dispositive pretrial matters including discovery Civ. L.R. 72-1 ↗

👤 Judge Chhabria — standing order

Joint discovery letters: As soon as practicable, but no later than 7 days after applicable discovery deadline.

Know Before You Go
👤 Judge Chhabria — deviations that burn people
  • Default page limits are far shorter than the local rules: most substantive motions are capped at 15 pages (opposition 15, reply 10) -- not the Civ. L.R. 25/25/15 default. Only SJ, PI, class actions, and patent SJ/claim-construction motions get the longer limits.
  • Cross-motions for SJ follow a 4-brief sequential format, not the standard opening/opposition/reply structure -- a calendar trap if you plan briefing as a standard motion.
  • Discovery is referred to a magistrate judge in almost all cases -- Chhabria himself handles discovery only rarely. When he does, joint discovery letters (max 5 pages) must be filed within 7 days after the applicable discovery deadline -- informal dispute resolution via letter, not a formal motion.
  • Request to reschedule a case management conference must be made at least 72 hours in advance; extension requests for case management deadlines require 72 hours notice as well.
  • Chhabria does NOT ordinarily issue tentative rulings -- he typically announces his tentative thinking at the outset of the hearing itself.
content assembled from published local rules & standing orders · click any section in the rail for the full treatment
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