Hon. Tiffany R. Johnson

Uzma Wiggins, Judge Johnson's Courtroom Deputy, is your principal point of contact on matters related to your case. Communications with the Courtroom Deputy should be via email (TRJ_CRD@gand.uscourts.gov) or in writing, addressed as follows: Chambers of Judge Tiffany R. Johnson ATTN: Uzma Wiggins, Courtroom Deputy 2142 United States Courthouse 75 Ted Turner Drive, SW Atlanta, GA 30303-3309 Neither the parties nor their counsel should discuss the merits of the case with any member of Judge Johnson's chambers.

Counsel and pro se parties must disclose the use of artificial intelligence ("AI") to prepare documents filed and submitted to the Court. If AI was used in any way to prepare a filing or submission to the Court or chambers, counsel and pro se parties are REQUIRED to sign and file a Disclosure of Use of Artificial Intelligence stating, as follows: "This document was generated with the assistance of [identify AI tool name]. I hereby certify under penalty of perjury that, despite reliance on an AI tool, I have independently reviewed this document to confirm accuracy, legitimacy, and use of good and applicable law, pursuant to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure." Counsel and pro se parties are cautioned that mistake, lack of technical expertise, and time constraints are typically not recognized by the Court as a good faith excuse for submission of documents that either violate Rule 11 or this disclosure rule. In particular, arguments in briefs to the Court that are supported by AI-generated caselaw (i.e., cases that do not actually exist) are not acceptable. Failure to comply with this disclosure rule may result in appropriate sanctions, up to and including dismissal and/or default judgment. § 3.A (Disclosure of Use of Artificial Intelligence) ↗

In accordance with Local Rule 7.1(E), motions are usually decided without oral argument, but the Court will consider any request for hearing.

Courtesy copies of filings should not be sent to chambers unless requested by the Court. If the Court requests courtesy copies from the parties, paper copies should be hand-delivered to chambers in Room 2142 on the 21st floor of the Richard B. Russell Federal Building. Paper copies should be printed from the CM/ECF docket with the blue header and should be single-sided.

For all consent, unopposed, or joint motions, the filing party shall include as an exhibit to the motion a proposed order granting the motion.

For documents filed other than during a hearing or trial, as a general matter, the Court will seal only those items enumerated in the Court's Standing Order 04-02 regarding sensitive information and public access to electronic case files. Absent extraordinary circumstances making prior consultation impractical or inappropriate, the party seeking to file the documents under seal shall first consult with the party who designated the document as confidential to determine if some measure less restrictive than filing the document under seal may serve to provide adequate protection. As further clarification, the Court notes that a mere reference or discussion of confidential information does not warrant sealing of the entire document. Instead, the Court is only interested in sealing (or filing in a redacted format) very specific portions of documents that contain or refer to confidential information. The parties should refrain from sealing an entire document when only certain information is confidential. Additionally, the Court normally will not seal documents used in open court at a hearing or trial absent extraordinary circumstances.

In accordance with Local Rule 7.1(E), motions are usually decided without oral argument, but the Court will consider any request for hearing. If oral argument is requested, the party or parties should specify the particular reasons oral argument may be helpful to the Court and what issues will be the focus of the proposed argument. Moreover, the Court shall grant a request for oral argument on a contested substantive motion if the request states that a lawyer of less than five (5) years out of law school will conduct the oral argument, it being the Court's belief that new lawyers need more opportunities for Court appearances than they usually receive.

The parties shall not file discovery motions (including motions to compel, motions for protective orders, and motions for sanctions) absent prior approval from the Court. These disputes are often resolved in a conference with the Court. In the event a discovery dispute arises, the parties must first meet and confer in-person to attempt to resolve the dispute. Counsel and pro se parties are required to confer in good faith before bringing a discovery dispute to the Court. See FED. R. CIV. P. 26(c) and 37(a)(1); Local Rule 37.1A. The duty to confer is NOT satisfied by sending a written communication or conducting a telephone conference UNLESS repeated attempts to confer in-person are unsuccessful due to the conduct of the opposing party. If the dispute cannot be resolved, the parties must file a joint "Notice of Discovery Dispute" via the Court's CM/ECF filing system. The parties must also notify the Courtroom Deputy via email that the notice of discovery dispute was filed. The parties should not include any substantive arguments regarding the discovery dispute in their email communication to the Courtroom Deputy. No motions to compel or to impose discovery sanctions shall be filed absent express leave from the Court. In the consolidated submission, the parties should outline their respective positions on each of the discovery items in dispute. If there are four (4) or less issues, the consolidated submission should not exceed five (5) pages. If there are five (5) to ten (10) issues, the submission should not exceed ten (10) pages. If there are more than ten (10) issues, the submission should not exceed twelve (12) pages.