All local rules for S.D.N.Y., integrated with this judge's published requirements.
(d) No ex parte order, or order to show cause to bring on a motion, will be granted, except upon a clear and specific showing by affidavit that contains good and sufficient reasons why a procedure other than by notice of motion is necessary and states whether a previous application for similar relief has been made. Local Civil Rule 6.1(d) ↗
HON. KENNETH M. KARAS MEMORANDUM TO ALL LITIGANTS Re: Individual Rules of Practice Date: April 20, 2026 Unless otherwise ordered, Parties and counsel with matters before Judge Karas shall conduct themselves in accordance with the following practices:
(c) Length of Memoranda of Law. If filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, briefs in support of and in response to a motion (except for motions for reconsideration) may not exceed 8,750 words, and reply briefs may not exceed 3,500 words. Local Civil Rule 7.1(c) ↗
(c) Length of Memoranda of Law. If filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, briefs in support of and in response to a motion (except for motions for reconsideration) may not exceed 8,750 words, and reply briefs may not exceed 3,500 words. Local Civil Rule 7.1(c) ↗
(c) Length of Memoranda of Law. If filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, briefs in support of and in response to a motion (except for motions for reconsideration) may not exceed 8,750 words, and reply briefs may not exceed 3,500 words. Local Civil Rule 7.1(c) ↗
Except for letter-motions as permitted by Local Civil Rule 7.1(d), and unless provided otherwise by statute or rule, or by the court in a judge’s individual practices or in a direction in a particular case, motion papers must be served and filed as follows: (a) On all motions and applications under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 through 37 and 45(d)(3), (1) all motion papers must be served by the moving party on all other parties that have appeared in the action, (2) any opposing or response papers must be served within seven days after service of the moving papers, and (3) any reply papers must be served within two days after service of the answering papers. In computing periods of days, refer to Fed. R. Civ. P. 6. (b) On all civil motions, petitions, and applications, other than those described in Rule 6.1(a), and other than petitions for writs of habeas corpus, (1) the moving papers must be served by the moving party on all other parties that have appeared in the action, (2) any opposing or response papers must be served within 14 days after service of the moving papers, and (3) any reply papers must be served within seven days after service of the answering papers. Local Civil Rule 6.1 (introductory clause) and 6.1(a)-(b) ↗
Silent on fixed motion hearing days. Local Civil Rules 6.1, 7.1 (silent) ↗
Local Civil Rule 77.1. Submission of Orders, Judgments and Decrees Proposed orders, judgments, and decrees must be presented as directed by the ECF rules published on the website of each respective court. Local Civil Rule 77.1 ↗
A. Electronic Filing Under Seal in Civil and Miscellaneous Cases i. Sealing/Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. ii. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases 8 and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), may be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section
Silent on oral argument default. Local Civil Rules 6.1, 7.1 (silent) ↗
For discovery motions, follow Local Civil Rule 37.2.
Absent an emergency, requests for adjournments or extensions of time shall be made at least five business days prior to the scheduled appearance. All requests for adjournments or extensions of time must be made in writing and filed on ECF as letter-motions. (If a request contains sensitive or confidential information, it may be submitted by fax/mail in lieu of being filed electronically.) The letter-motion must state: (1) the original date(s); (2) the number of previous requests for adjournment or extension; (3) whether these previous requests were granted or denied; and (4) whether the adversary consents and, if not, the reasons given by the adversary for refusing to consent. Requests for extension of deadlines regarding discovery or any other aspect of a case that has been referred to a magistrate judge that would result in extension of discovery past the date discovery is scheduled to be completed in the Case Management Order should be addressed to Judge Karas. All other requests for extension of interim deadlines regarding discovery or any other aspect of a case that has been referred to a magistrate judge shall be addressed to such magistrate judge, with a copy being filed on ECF. Source ↗
C. No Paper Submissions Absent Undue Hardship. No papers, including courtesy hard copies of any filing or document, may be submitted to Chambers unless requested by the Court. All documents must be filed on ECF or, if permitted or required under these Individual Rules and Practices, emailed to KarasNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov. Source ↗
B. Initial Case Management Conference. The Court will generally schedule a Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(c) conference within four months of the filing of the Complaint. The Notice of Initial Pretrial Conference will be sent to Plaintiff’s counsel, who will be responsible for distributing copies to all Parties. Prior to the initial case management conference, the Parties must file on the docket a proposed case management and scheduling order. The Parties should use the Civil Case Management and Scheduling Order form available on the Court's website. Source ↗
If filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, memoranda of law in support of and in opposition to motions are limited to 8,750 words, and reply memoranda are limited to 3,500 words. If filed by a Party who is not represented by an attorney and handwritten or prepared with a typewriter, memoranda of law in support of and in opposition to motions are limited to 25 pages, and reply memoranda are limited to 10 pages. If a brief is filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, it must include a certification, by the attorney or by the filing Party who is not represented by an attorney, that the document complies with word count limitations. The certification must state the number of words in the document and may rely on the word count of the word-processing program used to prepare the document. Memoranda of 10 pages or more shall contain a table of contents. All memoranda of law shall be produced in a 12-point font, be double-spaced, and have one-inch margins on all sides. A copy of the complaint shall accompany the moving papers. Sur-reply memoranda will not be accepted without prior permission of the Court. The Parties are to use Westlaw citations, where possible. Source ↗
of any open case in which she or he has appeared. B. Memoranda of Law. If filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, memoranda of law in support of and in opposition to motions are limited to 8,750 words, and reply memoranda are limited to 3,500 words. If filed by a Party who is not represented by an attorney and handwritten or prepared with a typewriter, memoranda of law in support of and in opposition to motions are limited to 25 pages, and reply memoranda are limited to 10 pages. If a brief is filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, it must include a certification, by the attorney or by the filing Party who is not represented by an attorney, that the document complies with word count limitations. The certification must state the number of words in the document and may rely on the word count of the word-processing program used to prepare the document. Memoranda of 10 pages or more shall contain a table of contents. All memoranda of law shall be produced in a 12-point font, be double-spaced, and have one-inch margins on all sides. A copy of the complaint shall accompany the moving papers. Sur-reply memoranda will not be accepted without prior permission of the Court. The Parties are to use Westlaw citations, where possible. Source ↗
Oral argument will be held where it would assist the Court. A notice of motion shall state that oral argument will be "on a date and at a time designated by the Court." The Court will contact the Parties to set the specific date and time for oral argument. Source ↗
A. Pre-motion Conferences in Civil Cases. For discovery motions, follow Local Civil Rule 37.2. For motions other than discovery motions, a pre-motion conference with the Court is required for making any motion, except motions brought on by Order To Show Cause, motions by incarcerated pro se litigants, motions for admission pro hac vice, motions for reargument, motions for class certification, and motions described in Rule 6(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Rule 4(a)(4)(A) of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. For motions to dismiss in lieu of an answer in fully counseled cases, the movant must send a pre-motion letter to the nonmovant, copy the Court, and file it on the docket. The letter shall include each specific argument and relevant case law supporting the movant’s position as to why the complaint may fail or partially fail as a matter of law. The filing of such a letter stays the time to answer or move until further order of the Court. Within seven days, the nonmovant shall respond by similar letter, indicating either that they will amend their pleading (with a proposed deadline for filing the amended pleading) or that they do not see a need to amend, citing the relevant case law that supports their position. Should the nonmovant choose not to amend in response to movant’s letter, the Court will then schedule a pre-motion conference to discuss the issues and potentially set a briefing schedule. If a complaint is ultimately dismissed on the grounds set forth in the movant’s initial letter, it may be dismissed with prejudice as the nonmovant already had a chance to research the movant’s arguments and amend as needed. To arrange a pre-motion conference for all other forms of motions that require them, the moving Party shall submit a letter (consistent with the procedures described above) not to exceed three pages in length (using normal margins and font) setting forth the basis for the anticipated motion. All Parties so served must submit a letter response, not to exceed three pages, within seven days from service of the notification letter. 3 To arrange a pre-motion conference for motions governed by a Scheduling Order, the moving Party must submit its initial letter two weeks prior to the motion deadline established by the Order. Where a pre-motion conference is not required, motions should be filed when served. It is essential that all Parties filing or responding to a pre-motion letter contemporaneously file a notice of appearance with the Clerk’s Office (although a Party contesting jurisdiction need only file a limited notice of appearance). This ensures that litigants are notified of any instructions or scheduling orders issued by the Court. Further, the Court expects each litigant to fulfill the duties of S.D.N.Y. ECF Procedure 9 by regularly reviewing the docket sheets of any open case in which she or he has appeared. Source ↗