All local rules for E.D. Pa., integrated with this judge's published requirements.
Judge Sanchez permits communications with chambers by telephone, letter, email, or facsimile regarding scheduling and other non-substantive matters only. Under no circumstances may any party or counsel communicate ex parte with any chambers personnel concerning substantive matters. Telephone and email inquiries should be directed to Judge Sanchez's Courtroom Deputy, Nancy DeLisle, at the contact information listed below. If Ms. DeLisle is unavailable, attorneys may speak to Judge Sanchez's law clerks regarding scheduling matters; however, law clerks may not provide advice to counsel. Requests for a continuance of any court proceeding or an extension of any case management deadline must be directed to Judge Sanchez by letter. Written communications with chambers must be copied to all counsel and unrepresented parties.
Silent on page limits for civil motions. The local rules set no district-wide page limit for motions or supporting briefs. Each judge's individual practices govern; consult the assigned judge's chambers procedures. E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1 ↗
Silent on page limits for opposition briefs. The local rules set no district-wide page limit. Each judge's individual practices govern. E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1 ↗
Silent on page limits for reply briefs. The local rules set no district-wide page limit. Each judge's individual practices govern. E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1 ↗
Any motion and its supporting memorandum of law shall not total more than 15 pages. Opposition briefs shall not exceed 15 pages. In those rare instances in which counsel believes additional pages are necessary, counsel should seek leave to exceed the page limit by motion. All papers submitted to the Court shall be formatted in Times New Roman size 12 font with one-inch margins and double-spaced. Footnotes should also be in size 12 font.
Opposition briefs shall not exceed 15 pages.
Reply briefs may be submitted without leave of Court in support of a motion for summary judgment or other dispositive motion, and with the Court's permission in support of non-dispositive motions. Replies shall not exceed seven pages and should address only issues raised in the opposition to the motion, without repeating arguments made in the initial brief. Replies shall be submitted no later than seven days after the opposition is filed. A sur-reply may only be filed with permission of the Court upon good cause shown and may not exceed five pages.
Response to motion due within 14 days of service E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1(c) ↗
Calendar control and other matters affecting the conduct of court business shall be governed by written policy statements on file in the Clerk's Office, which may be adopted or modified by the court in the implementation of the local rules (but not in derogation thereof), and also in the implementation of operating agreements that may be in effect between this court and certain other courts concerning conflicting engagements of counsel, recognition of busy-slips, and the like. E.D. Pa. L.R. 40.3 ↗
Yes
Courtesy copies are not required unless specifically requested by chambers. Where a filing includes voluminous exhibits (i.e., over 50 pages), parties are encouraged to provide a courtesy copy of the filing to chambers with a tabbed set of exhibits.
Proposed order required with every motion E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1(a) ↗
Please refer to Local Rule of Civil Procedure 5.1.2, Section 6, for instructions on filing sealed documents. Parties are reminded that sealed filings should be accompanied by a motion for leave to file under seal. Parties filing "Highly Sensitive Documents," i.e., those containing sensitive or confidential information that is likely to be of interest to a foreign power or agent of a foreign power and whose use or disclosure by such a foreign actor would cause significant harm, shall comply with the procedures and requirements set forth in the January 22, 2021 Standing Order captioned In re: Procedures Governing the Filing or Retrieval of Highly Sensitive Documents.
Oral argument at court's discretion; no automatic right E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1(f) ↗
Judge Sanchez may schedule oral argument on dispositive motions or where requested by the parties. If oral argument is scheduled, counsel should be prompt, professionally attired, and well prepared. During oral argument, counsel should refrain from simply repeating what the briefs assert. Judge Sanchez encourages counsel to bring their clients to oral argument on dispositive motions.
Judge Sanchez strongly disfavors requests for continuances. In civil cases, counsel must have good cause for the request. If good cause exists, a continuance must be sought as soon as possible. Requests for continuances should be directed to Judge Sanchez by letter and may be emailed to chambers with a copy to opposing counsel. A formal motion is not required. The party requesting a continuance must present the position of opposing counsel.
Discovery disputes referred to assigned magistrate judge E.D. Pa. L.R. 72.1 ↗
Counsel must exhaustively address all discovery disputes among themselves before requesting Judge Sanchez's assistance. In the event the parties are unable to resolve a discovery dispute on their own, counsel should request a telephone conference with Judge Sanchez by emailing a letter to chambers briefly outlining the nature of the dispute. The letter must certify that counsel have made a good faith effort to resolve the issue themselves. Motions to compel or other discovery motions should not be filed until a telephone conference has been held.