The Tenth Circuit has released its proposed changes to its local rules for 2020, and has invited public feedback on them. The deadline to submit comments is October 25, 2019.
The principal proposed changes are as follows, and consist of minor improvements that will make life easier for the Court and lawyers:
- Lawyers will now be required to include both the volume and page number for cites to the appendix. This will make it easier for the judges and their clerks to find your record cites. (Although not required by rule, you should also include the record proper volume number in briefs filed with New Mexico’s appellate courts; from experience I can tell you this makes it MUCH easier on the judges).
- Lawyers will no longer be required to mail hard copies of briefs to the clerk’s office at the same time that they are filed electronically. Instead, the clerk’s office will review electronically-filed briefs for deficiencies, and if none are found, will send an email to the lawyer with a deadline to file hard copies. “The goal is to reduce and/or eliminate the need to submit hard copies more than once when deficiencies are identified in the briefs.”
- The deadline to file motions to extend the time to file a brief will be shortened from five to three days before the briefing deadline.
- The new local rules will require disclosure statements to be filed by organizational crime victims and bankruptcy debtors in addition to corporations, and will require supplemental disclosure statements to be filed when information changes.
If you practice in the Tenth Circuit, be sure to read all of them.
